Basketball is a team sport, and winning as a whole is always a collective effort, but for a team to succeed, each player and coach must be on the same page. This prevents issues in the locker room, as a championship is the motor in every cylinder of everyone’s engine in the rotation.
However, each player has flaws, some of which can be corrected and others cannot. Shooting and IQ are often two of the few that are unsolvable, and Ben Simmons was a prime example against the Denver Nuggets. Yet, one of the standard approaches that can be fixed is defense.
Players can quickly elevate themselves in a category from below-average defenders to average by making simple tweaks and listening to the coaching staff, who have spent hours taking notes from watching film.
Furthermore, the LA Clippers signed Bradley Beal for the next two seasons, and since he has been an All-Star multiple times in the past, Tyronn Lue will likely have little to criticize him for throughout the year.
This is why Beal was once the face of the franchise for the Washington Wizards, yet he never visited the NBA Finals. To make it with the Clippers, he must improve his defense throughout the entire 94 feet.
Bradley Beal made it clear he wants a ring, but to claim it, he will have to dedicate his energy to playing both sides of the ball
In his latest interview, Bradley Beal discussed the opportunity that presented itself when he signed with the LA Clippers, following a phone call with former MVP James Harden. This, in summary, ties into winning a championship, as the former Washington Wizard has NBA Finals dreams at 32 years of age.
Conversely, the climb to the top will be challenging, and it will force Beal to play defense. He does not need to become elite or make an All-Defensive team, but Tyronn Lue will want his starting shooting guard to dive for loose balls and not easily get torched off the dribble.
Although this is a benchmark the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns never required him to meet, it is a necessity with the Clippers, as Lue will bench him if trends of weakness in coverage become a consistent habit.
Beal will have to make the jump individually, but he will not be alone in the gym, as Lue and Jeff Van Gundy can help him make the necessary adjustments to become great.