Although the LA Clippers' fan base often credits stars James Harden, Norman Powell, and Ivica Zubac for their in-season success, head coach Tyronn Lue has been a scheming mastermind behind the scenes.
With the support of film and advanced statistics, Lue strategizes which lineups work best while also making his observations to calibrate mid-game.
Conversely, Lue has made one mistake all season, and it has recently become an outlier. Before the team's success is sabotaged, the coaching staff must settle what is before them.
Furthermore, LA's three-point sharpshooter, Amir Coffey, should be played in increments. Lue has been extending his minutes, which has allowed opponents to strike at the Clippers' growing weaknesses.
Coffey is one of Lue's most reliable shooters. He will check in and immediately go to work without hesitation from a long distance. Coaches love to see this from a player who began his career as an undrafted free agent.
On the contrary, Coffey is a below-average defender, and the Clippers are losing because of his minutes in crunch time.
Head coach Tyronn Lue must play to the Clippers' deadline acquisition over his six-foot-seven veteran.
In his sixth season in the NBA, Amir Coffey has presented a fantastic showcase for the LA Clippers before his launch into the free-agent market. When Tyronn Lue requested transition buckets in the paint or from three, the former Minnesota product utilized his speed to score immediately. This makes sense as to why Lue trusts him over other options.
Coffey has averaged 10.4 points and 2.4 rebounds this season, shooting 47.5% from the field and 42.6% from three in 53 games.
However, what does not commonly stand out to fans is that Coffey has the second-lowest defensive rating and worst net rating among Clippers who play at least 25 minutes. Additionally, Lue uses Coffey at the end of games and gives up easy baskets, which eventually creates an unachievable deficit for the Clippers to come back from.
The solution: rely on Bogdan Bogdanović, a veteran two-way wing, in the clutch to defend with high intensity while bringing the same offensive volume as Coffey. This is the only cover-up, as Bogdanović is just as good of a three-point shooter who can move his feet on the perimeter.
Lawrence Frank traded a highly valued player, Terance Mann, to Atlanta for Bogdanović, so it would be logical to use him in as many ways as possible.