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The Los Angeles Clippers suffered one of the most surprising collapses in NBA history last season when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have received an unending amount of scrutiny for the way their season ended last year, and a lot of it deserved.
On Tuesday, the Clippers continued their six-game road trip with a stop in Brooklyn to face Steve Nash's Nets.
As one of the best basketball minds in the world, Nash chimed in on the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George duo as well as what they learned from last season's failure.
“I feel like this was a group in the Clippers that they learned a lot from last season,” Steve Nash said before his Nets defeated the Clippers on Tuesday night. “You can tell there's a newfound understanding and resolve and it feels and looks different than it did last year. So hats off to them, they've put themselves in position where they're playing great basketball and they look finely tuned and improved on last season and I think the results speak for that.”
"I feel like this was a group in the Clippers that they learned a lot from last season. You can tell there's a, there's a newfound understanding and resolve and it feels and looks different than it did last year.“
– Steve Nash on this year’s Clippers. pic.twitter.com/uRNlmO1F0d
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 3, 2021
If you've watched the Clippers this season, you'll see a different team. Head coach Tyronn Lue has put an emphasis on driving and kicking while putting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in positions they can be the most successful in. George had played a lot more as the ball handler in pick-and-roll scenarios, while Leonard has been given the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant-style playbook with triangle offense sets.
So far, it has yielded fantastic results. The Clippers are tied for the second-best record in the NBA and have been the league's best 3-point shooting team all season long. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are flirting with the 50/40/90 club, respectively, and both stars are averaging career highs in assists per game.
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“I think they've always had the ability to playmake, both of them,” Steve Nash added. “They make each other and others better. I think that there is a real level of trust with them right now because their teammates are shooting the ball so well and the pieces are fitting together, so they are doubling down a little bit on their playmaking whereas maybe in prior years they would lean into the scoring a little bit more.
“They are playing great basketball, they are sharing it, they are making plays for their teammates and they are making each other better.”
"They've always had the ability to playmake. They make each other & others better. I think that there is a real level of trust with them right now because their teammates are shooting the ball so well & the pieces are fitting together.”
Steve Nash on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George. pic.twitter.com/NybKMP1wHD
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 3, 2021
After falling to Nash and the Nets on Tuesday night, the Clippers will close out their road trip in Cleveland on Wednesday. The Nets and Clippers are set to have a rematch on Feb. 21 back in Los Angeles.
