LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers plan to use Kawhi Leonard in the same ways the Chicago Bulls used legend Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers used legend Kobe Bryant. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue spoke with members of the media prior to Sunday's practice, where he said he has been implementing more sets of the triangle offense, which was created by coach Tex Winter and made famous by coach Phil Jackson.

“We have put in two or three sets from the triangle and let Kawhi play in those spaces where Kobe and Jordan played in those spots as well,” Lue said of his plans to use Kawhi Leonard and the triangle. “He loves those two players. He really respects and looks up to those guys, so we’re just trying to put him in positions [to succeed]. I was able to play with both those guys, but I also played in the triangle, so just trying to teach him that as well as teaching our team as well.”

Tyronn Lue is the only player in NBA history who got to play on the same team as both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant throughout his career. Lue started his career alongside Bryant with the Lakers, playing three seasons under Phil Jackson and winning NBA championships in 2000 and 2001. He then joined the Washington Wizards to play alongside Jordan in the final two years of His Airness' career.

Phil Jackson successfully utilized the triangle with the Bulls, leading them to six NBA titles. He did the same with the Lakers, leading them to three titles from 2000-2002 as well as titles in 2009 and 2010.

Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were fantastic mid-range shooters, whether it came in post-ups, face-ups, off the dribble, you name it. That's what helped make the triangle offense so effective, and it's also something that Kawhi Leonard excels at. Last season, Leonard shot 47.2 percent on shots coming from the 5-9 foot range and 48.1 percent on shots from 10-14 feet. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Leonard also ranked fourth in total mid-range shot attempts (325) and shot 42.8 percent on those shots.

Just the other day, in the Clippers' preseason finale against the Utah Jazz, there were several actions that saw Kawhi Leonard come across the lane into the mid-post area that resulted in mid-range buckets. This play, for example, looks eerily similar to that of Michael Jordan:

“I think it’s a lost art,” Lue added when asked by ClutchPoints about the mid-range game of Leonard's in a 3-point dominant game. “I’m a firm believer in, ‘Why not work on what teams are giving up?' Every team wants to give up the mid-range shot, the mid-range 2s, and why not continue to work on the shots that teams are giving up. When you see, even in late-game situations in the fourth quarter, the mid-range shots are what wins the games. Those are the shots you’re gonna get in the playoffs as well, so it’s great having Lou [Williams], Kawhi [Leonard], PG (Paul George), and now Luke [Kennard), who can also make that mid-range shot. And if you shoot it at a high clip, it’s just as good as a 3 for me.”

Just prior to the Clippers' epic summer of 2019 that landed them both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, then-head coach Doc Rivers praised Leonard, calling him the closest thing we've seen to Michael Jordan.

“He’s the most like Jordan that we’ve seen,” Rivers said back in May 2019. “There's a lot of great players. LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that he is Jordan or anything like that, but he’s the most like him. Big hands, post game, can finish, great leaper, great defender, in-between game.”

After those comments were made and Kawhi Leonard agreed to join the Clippers, he talked about the comparisons to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, especially in the mid-range.

“He’s for sure a guy I studied. He’s one of the guys that everyone looks up to just from a competitive standpoint and know how he approaches every game. You just try to nitpick what you can take from him and bring it into yourself.”

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers will look to quickly right their wrongs and get the bad taste of blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets out of their system. Their journey begins Tuesday night when they face the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.