Coach Tyronn Lue said the Clippers are going to need at least 10-15 games to figure out how everyone fits in. The returning players will need time to adjust to the new-look lineups that feature experienced veterans, and the new players need to learn the system.
And everyone needs a moment to adapt to having a fully healthy Kawhi Leonard on the court, doing what he does without restrictions. Leonard’s two healthy knees were on full display on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans when he caught a pass from Derrick Jones Jr. with less than nine seconds to play, dribbled to within 20 feet of the basket and lofted a game-winning shot at the buzzer for a 126-124 victory.
Leonard, in fact, is feeling so strong that he said he is planning to play both ends of the Clippers’ upcoming back-to-back series at Intuit Dome. The Clippers play the Miami Heat on Monday and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
“There’s no restrictions on me,” the two-time NBA Finals MVP said. “I feel good. We’ve been playing hard on training camp days, two or three hours, and I think everybody’s comfortable where I’m at today.”
That’s music to the ears of everyone who stops to think back to last season when Leonard, plagued by ongoing knee issues, missed the first 47 games. He made his season debut Jan. 7.
“It’s very positive. (He’s) just showing that he feels good and that he wants to take that next step,” Lue said, before adding a caveat.
“But, like I said, we got to be smart about it and just got to get through the game tomorrow and just kind of go from there,” he said.
Said forward John Collins: “Kawhi being back and healthy has come into play a factor. We definitely feel like we’re one of the most talented teams in the league, and obviously, it takes time for everything to mesh well. So, we’re trying to be as patient as we can but staying calm.”
Having Leonard on the floor has been both good and bad for the Clippers. He is averaging 23.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in the first five games, but has, at times, taken the ball out of Ivica Zubac’s hands. Without Leonard last season, James Harden and Zubac carried the team, developing a dynamic pick-and-roll play that was integral to their success.
Zubac, who averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 last season, is posting 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds through five games.
Lue said Harden and Zubac still will connect on short pick-and-rolls and be counted on for rebounding the ball.
“We’re usually running something for Zu to keep him engaged in the game,” Lue said. “But it’s like I said, it’s a process for me, it’s a process for our team and just kind of see what works.”
Included in the process is building team chemistry. Jones Jr. said having Leonard from Day 1 has enabled the team to “build that up as fast as we can.
“We got some new pieces with our group, but they’ve learned the system and what we’re trying to do very fast,” he said. “We all are veterans, so we understand what we gotta get done.”
Still, Lue said that it’s still too soon to settle on a starting five. Guard Bradley Beal, seen early on as a starter, has been slowed because of a knee injury that kept him out of most of the preseason.
He has played 61 minutes in three games this season, scoring a season-high nine points against the Pelicans. In his previous two, he had five points in a blowout loss to Utah and six points in a decisive victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Beal was already entering the regular season after a knee injury kept him out for most of the postseason, which partially explains the lack of minutes.
Lue said he needs more than five games to determine who plays well together, who starts and who comes off the bench.
“That’s why we need 10, 15 games just to kind of see where we’re at and how we want to play,” Lue said.