In the midst of a collapse, at 6-21, not many people had Tyronn Lue’s back for the LA Clippers’ head coaching job. He was the top candidate to be the next coach fired, yet all of a sudden, LA has found some life amid a five-game win streak, and not a peep has been said about him. The credit for these wins has gone to the players, and not the coach, which is unfair.
In fact, 70% of the flowers have gone to Kawhi Leonard, who is leading the NBA in points over the last five games with 37.8, shooting 52.7% from the field and 46.5% from three. His resurgence has been the driving force behind LA’s 5-0 record.
The remaining percentage has been split mostly among James Harden, Kris Dunn, Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum, and the rookies.
Thus, Lue needs his props. The turnaround was certainly player-led, but the championship head coach’s optimistic mindset is paying overlooked dividends.
Tyronn Lue’s mindset and rotations have coerced the Clippers to where they are
Once the starting lineup was forced to change, Tyronn Lue urged his players to play winning basketball. They were going to be without the Ivica Zubac for several games, and could not afford to let that hold them down in the midst of chaos.
Brook Lopez was the next starter up, and the renovated starting lineup with him in place of Zubac has produced an offensive rating of 119.0 and a defensive rating of 112.6; that is a massive improvement, with more needed.
Moreover, with maximum creative control over the rotations, Lue found one out of the mud that has suddenly been game-changing. It consists of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Kris Dunn, Nicolas Batum, and Lopez.
This lineup has yielded an offensive rating of 140.0 and a defensive rating of 92.2. On both ends of the court, these five look fantastic and are utterly dominating their opponents across all areas.
So, when does Lue get credit for striking gold on the right lineups, playing the rookies, and voicing a 35-20 goal, right before the ‘Battle of L.A.’ that was seen as unrealistic then, yet somewhat realistic following five consecutive wins?
The time is now; Lue has done his part, and it is unfair to him that when the ship was sinking, he was wanted out. If the criticism was loud, which it was, then the apology, plus hard-earned recognition, must be even more deafening.