Sep 7, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; LA Clippers guard Paul George (13) brings the ball up court against the Denver Nuggets during the first half of game three of the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It’s official! The Los Angeles Clippers have signed Tyronn Lue as their head coach. Ty Lue was the lead assistant coach for Doc Rivers’ staff during the 2019-20 season.
However, after disappointing playoff run, coach Rivers was sacked by the Clippers. Ty Lue is will reportedly have 2004 NBA champion, Chauncey Billups, as his lead assistant, as per NBA Insider Shams Charania.
“New Clippers head coach Ty Lue’s coaching staff will include: NBA champion, ’04 Finals MVP and five-time All-Star Chauncey Billups and former Hawks/Bucks/Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew, per source.”
Prior to being part of Rivers’ coaching staff, Lue led the 2016 Cavaliers to an NBA Championship. But he had superstars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love at his disposal. The Clippers have a dynamic duo in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but following their 2020 postseason run, many eyebrows were raised at George.
PG struggled for the majority of the playoffs and failed to elevate the team. He averaged 20.2 points on an abysmal 39.8% from the field. Moreover, Ty Lue will have his hands full on yet another daunting issue.
It is a well-known fact that Leonard and George teamed up with the Clippers to play under Doc Rivers. With Rivers gone, the future is uncertain for the two superstars, another poor playoff run, and the duo might leave.
While the Clippers’ future is hanging by a thread from a long-term perspective. As of now, they still have one of the better teams in the league. If they can improve upon their team chemistry, they might be the team to beat in the Western Conference.
But for this to come true, they need Leonard and George to step up as leaders. Kawhi is the person who lets his game do the talking, but it might be time for him to take on a vocal approach. They also need to keep their minds off the media distractions, which was a prominent reason for their downfall this season.
But what do you think? Will Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leave the Clippers with Ty Lue as the coach or not?
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