Turnovers and inefficiency could be to blame, but the LA Clippers disappointed fans both in person and on their devices with a 20-plus point loss in the season opener against the Utah Jazz. This leads to a broader perspective, which pertains to the development of chemistry with LA's new and returning faces.
In the preseason, there were minimal issues in mistimed possessions, or rotational players blatantly missing their teammates in the half-court and transition. Everything seemed perfect, but this was a sign that a poor start was incoming, as with several new faces, sometimes initial performances can be too good to be true.
Furthermore, last night, the starters and those joining from the second unit were not in sync. There were nine turnovers in just the first 12 minutes, and of course, a young team like the Jazz took advantage and totaled 78 points by halftime.
Thus, Lue was seeing a performance from his team that he did not expect, and it is partially because all four of the newest faces played 15 or more minutes.
The LA Clippers will need many games' worth of time for everyone's skill set to blend in
Throughout multiple occurrences early in the game, total control was granted to the Utah Jazz, as the LA Clippers were either missing attempts or turning the ball over, and giving up points to Will Hardy's offense, led by Walker Kessler.
In fact, Kessler scored 22 points on LA, shooting 100% from the field, with nine rebounds, two steals, and four blocks.
Moreover, something did not seem right about the Clippers' flow, and this is what typically happens with numerous offseason additions. Individually, they may be great, but together, they may take up to weeks to fit in with everyone else.
Things slowly got better, but when it mattered early, everyone on the court was just playing their game. This removed all of the excitement on the court and sidelines, as it was transferred to the home team, who were all smiles in their historic 1-0 start to the season.
With time to practice for Friday at 7:30 PM(PST), Lue has already seen the reality of where his team is and can correct certain issues with ball-movement drills. However, some things cannot be fixed within a day's work, and one of them is chemistry. This will happen naturally, and once all cylinders are firing, LA will get back to winning like last season.