Despite being the only team excited but far from settled with a 12-22 record, the LA Clippers went on a six-game win streak, which still has them outside of the play-in tournament. It will likely take a few more wins to squeeze in, and a lot more to prosper from there. Thus, the overlooked genius with words strong enough to guide Tyronn Lue toward victory is Jeff Van Gundy, the league’s best assistant coach in 2024-25.
The eyes of the defense are Van Gundy’s. His words are like magic: he can spot a hole in the defense and inform Lue of the adjustment, and without hesitating or thinking twice, the head coach will immediately pay close attention with a sharp, alert mindset.
Therefore, Van Gundy must spend his late nights doing game recaps through statistical analysis that hint at obvious tweaks to spark another win streak. Just because their longest of the season ended against the Boston Celtics does not mean another one has a wait-time to begin.
Jeff Van Gundy must make changes best on what is best for the Clippers
Everything that requires defensive coordination runs through Jeff Van Gundy before anyone. He has special eyes that the LA Clippers trust and value, which ultimately explain why he can bring about positive change in the snap of a finger.
Moreover, the Clippers’ five-man lineups are all a numbers game, and more notably, addition and subtraction are concepts learned at an early age. Removing a player with negative trends and adding a positive one will inevitably lead to prosperity, even if it is minimal.
Thus, who the Clippers use around James Harden and Kawhi Leonard on defense is groundbreaking. Van Gundy is smart; he knows what winning looks like inside and out, and with two superstars, the players with the highest defensive ratings must be acknowledged.
Surprisingly, Yanic Konan Niederhauser is first on the team in defensive rating, and Kobe Sanders is second (among players in the rotation as of late). Granted, Niederhauser’s is under a small sample size, yet it will likely not change significantly with an expansion in minutes.
To use this information to contribute to wins, Van Gundy must point out to Tyronn Lue that the rookies next to the best perimeter defender, Kris Dunn, need to be Leonard and Harden’s supporting cast most.
Their potential is limitless, and Van Gundy would be extremely pleased to see these five put in an effort unmatched for a consistent period of time.