Building a winning culture in the NBA requires a lot of factors, some obvious and some more buried beneath the surface. But perhaps the most clear element of winning basketball in any setting is a strong collection of individual talent. The LA Clippers can certainly claim to have this as one of their strengths this year, especially after a strong offseason.
The Clippers supplanted the loss of Paul George and Russell Westbrook with several high-impact role players that will go a long way toward making sure LA returns to the postseason in the Western Conference in 2025. Nic Batum, Kevin Porter Jr., Kris Dunn, Mo Bamba and Derrick Jones Jr. will all bring a useful skillset to this team and provide a boost to the Clippers' established core pieces in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac.
But every good coach knows that there are some very valuable intangibles that every championship team has that are not defined by on-court talent. Not the least of these is vocal leadership, both on the court and in the locker room. Having a vocal leader brings a group together and allows everyone to better know their roles and how to operate effectively.
Several players have operated in this vocal leader role for the Clippers in the past. At training camp on Thursday, Ty Lue recalled how when the team lost Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo in years past, it also marked the departure of the team's vocal leaders. With that statement came the obvious question of who will now be this team's vocal leader after Russell Westbrook left in the offseason. Lue's answer was a little surprising: Jeff Van Gundy.
Three years ago, Tyronn Lue lamented that the departure of Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo left the Clippers a quiet team
— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 1, 2024
Asked T. Lue who fills that void this year with departure of Russell Westbrook and others, and he said it was Jeff Van Gundy. pic.twitter.com/DxnlmEJhPF
Lue: Van Gundy is the Clippers' vocal leader
Most would expect a player to be filling this role for LA, but Ty was clear in stating that Van Gundy was bringing that kind of impact for this team. "Making sure we set the tone, making sure we're talking defensively," he said. "You you've got to be a loud talking team, you've got to talk like that and just understand what we're doing. And JVG has done a great job of setting that tone early on."
This is yet another reason why Van Gundy has been viewed as a massive addition to the coaching staff. Many fans will not think too hard about how much an assistant coach can change a team and their mentality, but Lue has made it evident that JVG's impact has been significant.
When asked if he can continue relying on Jeff to bring this kind of impact and on players to respond it, Ty doubled down. "If you know JVG, they're going to get it. He's going to demand that, he's going to make sure they do it."
This is a pleasant surprise for the fanbase on the last day of training camp. Van Gundy was obviously already going to bring a positive impact as the mastermind behind LA's defensive philosophy, but this kind of leadership could be absolutely massive.