Throughout training camp and four preseason games, head coach Tyronn Lue had weeks granted to him by the league set up his game plan and solidify the five-man lineups he would like to use most. However, because the LA Clippers were not entirely healthy, Lue has been forced to experiment in the regular season, leading to multiple losses already. This is crucial, as the top seeds in the Western Conference are usually decided by fewer than two games.
In the playoffs, Lue is well-regarded as a one-of-one adjustor in terms of immediate switches. He has the rare ability to read and predict what the opponent has strategized; therefore, he enters games with several counters in mind, knowing there is a good chance a swap will be needed.
But to have an effective fallback, Lue jots down the strengths and weaknesses of the rotations used in the regular season, as he did in Golden State, and, to no surprise, the Clippers got run off the court by 19 points.
Tyronn Lue should know the appropriate time and place to execute trial-and-error attempts
With the urge to see how the LA Clippers would do with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac all resting at once, Tyronn Lue picked the worst time to make his observations. He should have done this when the Clippers had Bradley Beal, a peak version of Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the best of Chris Paul.
These three could surely hold the fort down on both sides of the ball, but against the Golden State Warriors, Beal was injured, Bogdanovic was still ramping up, and, to say the least, about Paul, he has been performing at a relatively disappointing level compared to what was expected.
In fact, Paul is currently averaging 2.5 points and 4.0 assists, shooting 25.0% from the field and 30.0% from a distance.
Thus, Lue should have waited until tomorrow against the New Orleans Pelicans, or even at a time over the next few weeks, to see the production of his depth on the court after viewing it on paper during the entire summer.
That said, Lue is currently 2-2, facing the reality that LA should be 4-0 right now. Every fan knows the loss against the Utah Jazz should have been a win, and if their latest contest at Chase Center had been conducted correctly, LA would have won, marking a four-game win streak.