Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is already a championship-winning skipper, and the 2019-20 NBA season looks like one that will require his guidance.

The Clippers acquired All-Star forwards Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the offseason, vaulting odds for a first title in franchise history way skyward. Despite the newfound pressure to win now, Rivers, a former Coach of the Year and leader of the 2008 champion Boston Celtics, is dialed into the formula to produce an elite team.

Per Gary Washburn in The Boston Globe:

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Chris Paul in a Clippers uniform with question marks everywhere.

Joey Mistretta ·

Kawhi Leonard, Tyronn Lue, Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks

Tomer Azarly ·

Blake Griffin with Celtics players telling him to come back before retirement.

Daniel Donabedian ·

“Before the season starts you want to put in every ounce of energy you can to take away anything that could be an issue or a distraction and make sure you staff is ready and understands their role and that they need to lead these guys,” Rivers told the Globe. “It’s a hell of a journey. It’s a hard journey. [But] it’s a great place to be.”

“It’s not the superstar power. I don’t care about that. It’s about having a team that you really think can compete for a title,” he said. “Having a team with superstars that you don’t believe can compete for a title is nothing. There’s a difference. Because there are teams we all have seen that, and been around and had, you may have that one superstar but you’re not winning it. And you’re a realist in that.

“When you have a title team, you still have that mind-set you’re trying to win every night, but there’s a bigger purpose that you know what’s out there but you have to put in the work and the time, the commitment, you have to get them to grow together, to play together. You have to have cooperation. Teams that don’t want to do that don’t win, that’s a fact.”

Rivers and the Clippers have a renewed rivalry with Staples Centers co-host and Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Lakers, as the purple and god acquired Anthony Davis to pair with future Hall of Fame forward LeBron James. Playing the Lakers four times a year and painting a target on the collective backs due to Leonard and George's presence are tough, but Rivers knows the kind of mentality he has to command.