LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue not impressed with team after fourth consecutive loss: "We are not a very good basketball team right now"
The LA Clippers have fallen to a disappointing 2-4 record following their 112-91 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon. The 21-point loss marked the Clippers’ fourth straight loss of the season after starting off 2-0.
As a result, they now sit in just 12th place in the Western Conference, despite many considering them the preseason favorites to win the West. The team’s poor start has also now prompted Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue to call out his team, particularly their struggling offense.
"We are not a very good basketball team right now and we got to change that," Lue said.
"We all got to be better. Look at the mirror and not at the window ... To be 27th in the league in scoring, that's terrible with all the talent we have," he continued.
LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. also spoke about how the team has just been expecting to win based on the big names on their roster.
"Right now we're just showing up and thinking we can win because of all the names we have and that's just not the case," Morris said.
Morris added that the Clippers need to have more of a sense of urgency as this is a championship-or-bust season for the team.
"This is championship-or-bust … we shouldn't be getting outplayed. Blind eyes can see that we are getting outplayed,” he added.
LA Clippers All-Star forward Paul George expressed a similar sentiment, highlighting that the Clippers need to play with intensity. George also added that they need to figure out their team identity.
"I think we just gotta raise the intensity. It comes down to identity; who are we gonna be? With that, we just gotta raise the intensity on both sides,” George opined.
However, George did put the majority of the blame on himself after he finished Sunday’s game with just 14 points on 5-for-19 (26.3%) shooting.
“It starts with me. I was poor tonight, I've been poor the past couple games. I'll get it together. I'm committed to my work, I'm committed to this team succeeding.
“It starts with me. I gotta get better, I gotta be better. But then collectively, we have to be a better team and have an identity when we're on the court,” he conceded.
LA Clippers guard John Wall also explained that the team needs to be ready to take every team’s best shot on any given night. Wall compared the situation to his time in college with the Kentucky Wildcats.
"We have so much of a talented team where you look on paper, we look so great," Wall said.
"But like I was telling the guys in the locker room, that don't mean nothing. Kinda looks like it was when I was in college at Kentucky. We were everybody's Super Bowl. Everybody gets up for us.
"That's what teams are doing now. They know they come out and hit us first, be more aggressive, they'll be the team that wins.
"The last four games, we've been down almost 20 like every game. We just gotta find a way to tuck our pride and just look ourselves in the mirror, even though it's still early, and figure out what we could do best for this team, each individual," he further added.
The LA Clippers, as a team, are currently 29th in the league in offensive rating at 101.3. This puts them ahead of only the 1-5 LA Lakers, whose offensive struggles have been well-documented to start the year. They also rank just 27th in team 3-point percentage at 31.5%, ahead of the Lakers, OKC Thunder and Orlando Magic.
However, it’s worth noting that Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has only played in two of the team’s six games so far this season. Wall has also been on a minute restriction. Meanwhile, George missed one game due to illness and Morris missed two games due to personal reasons.
The Clippers will still have a very good chance of getting back on track this week. Their next two games will be against the 1-6 Houston Rockets on Monday and Wednesday. If they still struggle in those two games, then it might be time to panic.
When will Kawhi Leonard return for the LA Clippers?
With regards to Kawhi Leonard’s return from injury, the LA Clippers will still have to wait for at least another game. It has already been reported that Leonard has been ruled out for the Clippers’ Monday night game against the Houston Rockets. This will mark his fourth straight game on the sidelines.
Kawhi Leonard is also OUT tomorrow vs. the Rockets, Clippers coach Ty Lue says.
Leonard initially played in just two of the Clippers' first three games. He came off the bench in both games but played limited minutes as the team was being cautious with him.
However, Leonard still ended up experiencing tightness in his right knee at the team’s Tuesday morning shootaround last week. He has been held out since then.
Tyronn Lue has since stated that Leonard is day-to-day.
“It’s going to be a game-to-game thing right now. We know he’s out tomorrow. I think it’s going to be a game-to-game thing.
"He’s feeling better, we just continue to rehab and just try get rid of the stiffness he had going on in that knee, but he is feeling better so that’s a great sign,” Lue said.
The LA Clippers are now 1-3 without Kawhi Leonard this season. So hopefully he can return sooner rather than later.