The Clippers, who prepared ambitiously for the second half by recruiting Westbrook, fell into a slump.
The Los Angeles Clippers lost 101-108 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on the 1st (Korean time). Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Ssangpo combined for 48 points, but lost in silence from their teammates.
The Clippers lost all three games in which Russell Westbrook joined. Westbrook did nothing wrong. Since joining the Clippers, Westbrook is averaging 16 points, 9.3 assists and 6 rebounds. It’s not like he was in his prime, but he doesn’t look like he can’t blend in with the team he saw at the LA Lakers. At the Clippers, Westbrook is melting into the team by throwing away his individual scoring desire and running the game with a focus on passing for his teammates.
This season, the Clippers have been plagued by the point guard position all season. This is because John Wall, who was recruited with high expectations in the offseason, is disappointing, and Reggie Jackson, who played a great role last season, is also sluggish. The point guard position has been a problem for the Clippers recently, to the extent that Terrence Man showed the most stable performance when he came out as a point guard. 안전놀이터
In this situation, when Westbrook joined, fans’ expectations were amplified. Westbrook has been sluggish with the Lakers, but he’s still an above-average point guard in the NBA and has a lot of room to play for the Clippers, which have a lot of 3-point shooters. It actually happened. Then what is the problem?
The person receiving the most criticism from Clippers fans this season is none other than manager Tyrone Lu. Coach Lu took charge of the Clippers and showed off his leadership skills without regret. He even made it to the Western Conference Finals with Leonard injured, and was a manager who performed well last season even when Leonard and George were away for a long time due to injury.
However, coach Lu’s team management this season is close to the worst. They are not using the Clippers squad, which boasts the thickest depth in the NBA, at all. Robert Covington, who joined the Clippers during the trade deadline last season and performed well, was excluded from the team. Despite the poor form of Marcus Morris and Nicholas Batum, Covington is not using them at all. Covington is considered one of the best defensive forwards in the NBA. The decision not to hire Covington is hard to understand.