Given that last season was Jeff Van Gundy's first on the LA Clippers, the other coaches and players on the team may have been surprised at how immediate and effective his impact was. Now, the cycle repeats itself, as newcomers like Bradley Beal reacted similarly to the way he coaches and how seriously he treats his job.
Moreover, in a setting where media members were able to question Beal, Law Murray of "The Athletic" posted a clip on X(formerly Twitter) of the three-time All-Star talking about getting ready for the season opener versus the Utah Jazz.
This game takes place today in Salt Lake City, and within his response, Beal shared that Van Gundy is not just steps ahead, but miles ahead of his opponents. This implies the Clippers are ready to enter Utah and come out with an unforgettable win.
Asked Bradley Beal about preparing for Utah
— Law Murray 🎃 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 20, 2025
Beal mentioned that Jeff Van Gundy is "going to be two weeks ahead of his opponent" while saying that the Jazz are a tall team with shooters pic.twitter.com/sX0RCzx8IC
Jeff Van Gundy's preparation style will help the Clippers win the Western Conference
For weeks now, the LA Clippers have known about who, when, and where they will play throughout the regular season. Thus, from the very moment of the schedule release, Jeff Van Gundy got to work with the first game being against the Utah Jazz.
Furthermore, Bradley Beal recently mentioned, with a smile, that Van Gundy prepares for the Clippers' opponents weeks in advance. This helps explain why LA was always ready last season, no matter who was on schedule.
Up until now, most of the fan base has cherished Van Gundy for his defensive mind and his head coaching qualities. If it was in his list of desires to become a head coach again for the first time since 2007(Houston Rockets), he could have easily pursued the opening the New York Knicks had over the summer, a city he used to coach in decades ago(1995-2002).
Following Beal's words, the fans have received a clearer picture of what it is like to have Van Gundy as the lead assistant. Hence, his ambition, intelligence, and motivation will soon make the Clippers the favorites over the Oklahoma City Thunder to end up as the team representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
That said, the level of preparation Van Gundy brings has typically been Tyronn Lue's job, but with another genius mind joining him, LA's potential expands to even greater extents. This perfectly aligns with the saying, "two minds are greater than one," proving success is within this season's destiny.