Coach Tyronn Lue is trying to instill a sense of urgency in the Clippers, starting with a competitive training camp and an emphasis on results in the preseason, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Lue played 11 years in the NBA, so he understands how players sometimes approach exhibition games, but he wants to avoid falling into that trap.
“Veteran players, they always try to ease into it,” Lue said. “And I wanted to try to change that mindset of just establishing who we are from Day 1.”
L.A. didn’t have a full roster for Sunday’s opener against the Jazz in Hawaii. Russell Westbrook and Nicolas Batum were both rested, and Marcus Morris was held out of the game after suffering a left groin injury in Saturday’s practice. He’s also expected to miss Tuesday’s contest.
“I know it doesn’t count, but we still can establish … offensively pushing the pace, attacking the basket, having great spacing defensively and being physical one through five, just bringing our physicality,” Lue told reporters before Sunday’s game.
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