NBA
Clippers: Head coach Ty Lue told Paul George and Kawhi Leonard ‘Let’s be serious’ about the regular season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated28 Jul 2023
In 2022-23, the LA Clippers finished 5th in the Western Conference with a 44-38 record. Their first-round matchup in the 2023 postseason was the Phoenix Suns. They lost the series in five games. Recently, head coach Ty Lue went on SHOWTIME Basketball’s All The Smoke podcast. He told co-hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that he had a serious talk with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this offseason.
Both George and Leonard joined the Clippers for the start of the 2019-20 season. Since that time, both have struggled with injuries and have had trouble playing anything close to a full season. When healthy, they are on the list for some of the top two-way players in the NBA. However, George and Leonard have yet to play at least 60 games in four seasons with the Clippers.
That’s why Ty Lue says that his two all-star forwards need to approach the regular season differently in 2023-24. It will be interesting how George and Leonard respond to that constructive criticism. It’s not usually something veteran players are told, but Lue isn’t afraid to get serious with his top players on their roster.
Injuries have plagued the Clippers, but Ty Lue disagrees with the load management narratives.
He just wants to see the Clips at full strength once.
New episode of #AllTheSmoke with Ty Lue drops tomorrow on our YouTube. 💨 pic.twitter.com/ebpfEUiEbf
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) July 26, 2023
What can Paul George and Kawhi Leonard do to keep themselves healthy for the 2023-24 season?
In 2022-23, Paul George played in 56 games and Kawhi Leonard played in 52 games for the Clippers. That is the most games George has played since joining the team in 2019-20. Leonard’s 52 games played matches the total he played during the 2020-21 season. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with an ACL injury. It’s safe to say that the two all-stars have not delivered for the Clippers when it matters,
However, it’s something that can be changed. Head coach Ty Lue and his coaching staff are going to help George and Leonard approach the regular season differently next season. He told them “Let’s not wait until the playoffs,” because the regular season is still important. Lue stressed having a home-court advantage and not having to fight to make the postseason in the final 10 games of the regular season.
He said that both players understood the message. There will no longer be a lack of urgency for the Clippers during the regular season. Ty Lue is going to get his star players ready to be available for a majority of their games next season. Under the league’s new CBA, players are not eligible for end-of-the-season awards if they haven’t played at least 65 games. That could be a target number of games that George and Leonard could look to play in next season.
