Kerr: Lue is "brilliant defensive mind" and "great communicator"
Team USA's head coach had nothing but praise for the Clippers' top man.
LAS VEGAS — LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and Golden State Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr have been through plenty of battles against one another throughout their time as the lead men on their respective staffs.
As a result, the bond formed through shared struggle is one of great respect, and on Sunday at USA Basketball’s second day of camp in Las Vegas, Kerr expressed how much he respects Lue.
“[Tyronn Lue]’s a brilliant defensive mind,” Kerr told gathered media shortly after Team USA wrapped up their second day of practice. “And I think he showed that in the playoffs when we played them year after year.”
While most would point to Lue’s offensive schemes as being the backbone of his teams throughout the years, Kerr giving praise to Lue’s defensive acumen is a change of pace.
“They had a real knack for making adjustments and understanding what was happening, what we were trying to do,” said Kerr of the battles between his Warriors and Lue’s Cleveland Cavaliers. “So, I think he’s one of the great defensive minds in the game. Coaching with him the last couple of summers, that’s only been reinforced.”
Lue and Kerr went head-to-head three straight years in the NBA Finals, from 2016 through 2018. While Kerr’s Golden State squad won the final two meetings between the two, it was Lue’s Cavaliers who stormed back in 2016 as the only team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and win the title.
That was partly due to the defense that Lue helped install and the schemes he coached.
Over the final three games of the series, the Cavaliers held the Warriors to a paltry 101.3 offensive rating. For the series, the vaunted 73-win Golden State team could only muster a 107.5 offensive rating, far below their league-leading mark of 113.5.
While the Clippers haven’t been a fully dominant defensive team in Lue’s four years, there have been blips that show just how close they are to reaching that point.
The team ranked inside the Top 10 in the league in defensive efficiency during Lue’s first two seasons but has experienced a drop-off over the last two. The most impressive of these seasons was 2021-22, where Lue navigated an injury-riddled squad to a 42-40 record and the eighth-best defense in the league. Kawhi Leonard missed the entire year while Paul George only played in 31 games.
Even though the Clippers’ defense tailed off towards the latter part of the 2023-24 season, there were still signs that the team could do the job on the defensive end if all parts worked together. After all, they did rank 10th overall in defensive efficiency before the calendar flipped to 2024, but the defense dipped to 20th from that point onward. It’ll be up to the players, both the holdovers and the new pieces, to make the former more of the gold standard than the latter.
Kerr’s resounding praise of Lue didn’t stop there, as the four-time champion coach talked about how Lue gets the best out of those around him.
“He’s brilliant with his drill work, with his preparation for what we want to do, great communicator with the players,” Kerr remarked. “They love him, but he’s tough with them. Ty’s a great coach. There’s a reason I wanted him on the staff. Because I’ve gone against him many times and I knew how good he was.”
Lue’s great communication skills have been applauded by many in the past, with the way he’s been able to handle difficult decisions such as benching guards Rajon Rondo and Patrick Beverley at various points during the franchise’s 2021 run to the Western Conference semifinals being lauded.
Keeping everyone pulling in the right direction when there are 15 players on a roster who feel like they deserve to play is not an easy task, but it’s one Lue is up to.
“We have a lot of talent on this team, and everybody can play, so it’s my job as a head coach to let guys know, keep the communication [going],” said Lue at media day in October 2023. “Guys are still not going to be happy if they’re not playing because a lot of guys do deserve to play. But when you have talent and so much depth it’s hard to play everyone. Our guys have to understand that. They don’t have to be great with it because they’re competitors, but you also have to make sure that you’re doing everything as far as the team goes, going in the right direction.”
Managing the justified egos of NBA players can be tough, and it’s oftentimes overlooked when discussing things that a coach does or does not do well. Many coaches can be great X’s and O’s gurus, or some can be great communicators but not elite at the in-game dynamics. Finding a coach who can do both at a top level is hard, but it seems the Clippers have that rare combination at the helm.
The Clippers and Lue will continue their partnership after the two sides agreed to a new contract in May. The reported five-year, $70 million deal made Lue the fourth-highest-paid head coach in the NBA behind only Kerr, fellow USA assistant and current Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. To bolster the ranks, the Clippers poached Jeff Van Gundy away from his consultant role with the NBA champion Boston Celtics and hired the 62-year-old as Lue’s lead assistant.
With the admiration from his fellow coaches and the organization’s commitment to retaining him for the foreseeable future, all is going right for Lue in the basketball world at the moment.
All that’s needed is to help Team USA win a gold medal in Paris, as well as help the Clippers navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the NBA.