No question, healthy Maggette is ready for increased role

The road is finally clear for Corey Maggette.

There are no lingering injuries. He’s healthy.

No debate about him coming off the bench. He’s starting.

And no doubt the Clippers need him to score. They do -- and in bundles.

While the team looks to find an identity as it combats injuries to key players, Maggette will be looked to as a key piece in the puzzle.

Toward the end of last season, he turned into a scorer and playmaker, a role the Clippers want him to fill again this season.

And it’s a role Maggette, a forward, is ready to embrace.

“I’m in better shape than I was in any year,” he said. “It’s a mind-set to just dominate whenever I can. We need that for this team.”

Last season, Maggette’s role changed to being more of a scorer off the bench to a starter. Quinton Ross frequently started because of his defensive prowess.

Maggette averaged 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 75 games, starting 31 of them.

Ross will still get his minutes, but Maggette will be asked to pick up some of the scoring lost because of the prolonged absence of Elton Brand.

“I’m definitely ready to help this team,” Maggette said. “You got to pick up the slack because of the circumstances.”

Over the summer, Maggette had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee for an injury that hindered him since December. Then he started hitting the gym, taking 700 shots twice a day while working on different ways to find himself the best shot.

Trade rumors have followed Maggette the last few years and probably will continue as he can opt out of his contract at the end of the season. But he said his focus is only on the court.

“The rumors have been happening for the last two or three years,” he said. “At the end of the day, I look at it like this: If it is going to happen, it’s going to happen. At the end of the day, it’s out of my control.”

Brevin Knight, Stanford alumnus. Enough said.

“It’s a great win for our school and for our football program,” said Knight, who brought his Cardinal warm-ups to Sunday’s practice after Stanford’s 24-23 upset victory over USC on Saturday. “Of course, I’m down here in L.A. now, but in that moment I’m a Stanford fan.”

“On the fourth and 20, I was hollering, I thought they were going to kick me out my building,” he said. “The fourth and goal, I hollered a little bit louder and I thought the cops were going to come. It was fun though. I had just wanted them to cover the spread.”

Sam Cassell (sore left knee) and Ruben Patterson (left hip pointer) sat out practice. Both are day to day. Chris Kaman (tweaked lower back) was expected to perform contact drills today. . . . The Clippers will practice this morning before flying to Denver for their first exhibition on Tuesday.

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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EXHIBITION OPENER

Tuesday at Denver, 6 p.m.