Battling with the Toronto Raptors two starters short in must-win circumstances is not ideal, but head coach Tyronn Lue listened to the fans and played every youngster who traveled. This is where Lue’s belief system as a coach has changed, as a month ago, the LA Clippers could have had countless key players on the injury report, yet only veterans would hog the minutes.
How did Lue’s night end, following a course of action the fanbase passionately yearned for? The Clippers won in overtime by four points and amazed the world by showing that a promising young core lies in LA; it was just hidden by a close-minded mentality.
If there was a way to split one game ball and spread the share amongst the Clippers’ youth, Lue should have done so. Several rising talents shot efficiently, carried the offense while James Harden rested, and hustled like each possession was their last.
This win felt like the old, gritty Clippers rekindled on both sides of the ball, propelling them to the tenth seed in the Western Conference. They are finally in the play-in tournament and can adjust their short-term goal to moving up further in the standings.
Tyronn Lue simply let the youngsters play their style of winning basketball
The hot topic everywhere in Inglewood, California, is the LA Clippers’ two-way star, Jordan Miller. He was the player of the night, with a game-high +/- of +20 through a game-high minutes of 46, along with 19 points, six assists, and four steals, shooting 8-11 from the field.
However, the Clippers’ bench was not just reluctant to Miller; it also had Cam Christie. The 20-year-old only played 20 minutes, but was arguably the most effective on the team, with 16 points and five rebounds on one miss.
Who would have ever predicted that, amid the time the Clippers were 6-21, in the next month, Miller and Christie would score 35 of the bench’s 46 points against the fourth-seeded Toronto Raptors?
Additionally, some other unique sights were: TyTy Washington Jr. debuting and draining a three while dishing two dimes, as well as Lue splitting the front court with three centers, and at one point, testing out the double-big lineup.
That said, last night’s win, and particularly the context behind it, was extremely difficult to forecast. Yet it is the possible result of the head coach exploring a different route that has always remained untouched, with dust in every corner from start to finish.