Los Angeles Clippers head coach, Tyronn Lue, is best known for winning the 2016 championship with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having coached both LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, coach Lue has noted some interesting similarities between the two NBA Champions. He pointed those out during a recent press conference session.
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One of Lue’s metrics for comparing LBJ with the Klaw was their elite court vision and impressive basketball IQ. While the King is widely acclaimed for his basketball vision, Leonard’s skills in manipulating the court are quite underrated. However, Lue ended up finding similarities between the geniuses of the two Finals MVPs.
The Clippers and Kawhi Leonard are gearing up for a very crucial season. Returning from injury after a long hiatus, Kawhi would be looking to contend for a Championship this year to put an end to all the criticism surrounding him.
Clippers coach Ty Lue praised LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in recent press conference
Ty Lue had the special opportunity to coach two of the greatest players of this generation in LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, albeit for two different teams. Alongside LBJ, Lue guided the Cavs to their first-ever Championship in 2016, seven years ago from today.
In the meantime, Coach Lue recently praised both LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard for their Game IQ and basketball intelligence. LBJ and Leonard often tend to play a team game, threading intelligent passes to their teammates and setting up ingenious plays as well. Speaking about the two players, here is what Ty Lue said during a recent press conference, as seen in this clip uploaded by Law Murray on X.
Tyronn Lue, in sharing how he prefers to give his players space in the offseason in terms of communication, discussed how Kawhi Leonard is one of the exceptions.
T Lue compared Kawhi to LeBron: “The things they see, they can see it developing before other guys can see it…” pic.twitter.com/FQlEWvjoYy
— Law Murray 📱 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 13, 2023
While talking about the technical abilities of LeBron and Kawhi, the veteran coach said:
“The things they [players like LeBron and Kawhi] see…they can see it developing before other guys can see it developing.”
LBJ has himself lauded Kawhi Leonard several times for his defensive and offensive prowess. In 2016, James claimed he loved playing against Kawhi, hailing him as a premier defensive player.
However, the two-time NBA Champion’s extensive injury history has hindered him from achieving great rivalry with LeBron James. But the two could very well face off against each other in the Western Conference playoffs this postseason. The LBJ-led Lakers and the Leonard-led Clippers have not looked this good since 2019.
Kawhi was criticized severely for missing games last season
Kawhi Leonard has had problems dealing with injuries over the past few seasons. Since starting his stint with the Clippers, Kawhi has missed several games, which has earned him a reputation of being the face of load management in the league. However, fellow Clippers star Paul George has recently defended himself and Kawhi Leonard from these kind of accusations, reiterating their love for basketball.
Kawhi Leonard’s injuries have often proven costly for the Clippers during the post-season. Last playoffs, the Clippers were ousted 4-1 in the first round by the Phoenix Suns. The LA side would be looking to change that this season.
