The ‘Bill Belichick of Basketball’ gets another tool to work with on the Clippers.
From Draymond Green, to Andre Igoudala, to Reggie Jackson, it seems that after willing a ragtag Los Angeles Clippers team to a 42-40 record, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is finally being given his well-deserved flowers. A recent report just unveiled the newest addition to the list of NBA players: none other than newest Clipper, John Wall.
According to Andrew Grief of the LA Times, Wall was attracted to Los Angeles not only because of who he would be sharing the court with, but also who he would be sharing the bench with. Yes, playing with longtime friend and workout partner Paul George was a major draw, but “so too was playing for coach Tyronn Lue.”
Wall was reported saying, “this is a team that I can fit with,” and that he thought he would be able to fill crucial gaps for the Clippers in a mutually beneficial union:
“Watching where I feel like they need some speed, and someone who can break down the defense, get into the paint. Find guys. That’s what my job was. That’s what I’ve done my whole career.”
Undoubtedly, the Clippers front office brought in Wall to do just that: attack the basket, break down defenses, and facilitate. While it’s been a while since we’ve seen Wall in action, old habits die hard. And John Wall’s habits, thus far in his career, have been to do those exact things.
Wall may be looking to add on a few other tricks — notably, his reported emphasis practicing catch-and-shoot 3s — but so long as he can keep it simple and lean on his strengths, the Clippers are looking at an extremely useful asset that fills a lot of their team’s weaknesses these last few seasons. Not to mention, one on an extremely team-friendly contract.
Now, the challenge is back on Ty Lue’s shoulders. Tasked with balancing perhaps the league’s deepest team, Lue will have his hands full. If I trust anyone to experiment with lineups, make adjustments, and find the winning permutation of minutes to take this Clippers squad to the Promised Land, however, it’s none other than the “Bill Belichik of Basketball.”