Joakim Noah on his LA Clippers Debut: 'It felt good to play basketball again'

Following his LA Clippers debut on Wednesday, Joakim Noah spoke a bit about what it was like to be on the floor again.

There are a few things to take away from Wednesday's scrimmage between the LA Clippers and Orlando Magic, but Joakim Noah's performance might be the biggest.

In his first bout of NBA action in over 480 days, the 35-year-old veteran big took the floor as a starter for a team seeking to win a championship come October. This was circumstantial, as the Clippers are currently without Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrel, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

When it was all said and done, Noah had recorded four points, five rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes in LA's 99-90 win over the Magic — not a bad line, all things considered.

After the game, he spoke about what it was like to be back on the court for the first time in over a year.

"It felt good to play basketball again," Noah said. "We've been working really hard during this quarantine just to get out there. It's very different, no fans, the energy is very different, but it's going to have to come from the players. But it definitely felt great playing basketball again."

As solid as his stats were, Noah looked surprisingly comfortable with his new team. He made fantastic reads and passes, finding guys like Amir Coffey and Marcus Morris for easy three-point shots, was an active screener, and looked good on the glass.

Doc Rivers seemed particularly satisfied with Noah's performance in his debut, calling him "an elite passer" and praising his ability to make decisions with the ball in the paint.

"Whatever my role is going to be, I'm going to do my best," Noah said. "It feels great to get a compliment from Doc like that."

It's hard to say how often Noah will play once Zubac and Harrell return, but for the time being, he should continue to start at the five for LA.

The Clippers' next scrimmage will take place this Saturday, July 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET against the Washington Wizards.