Ty Lue Admits Tough Reality With Kawhi Leonard-Paul George Tandem

When Paul George signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, many thought the move would finally push the beleaguered squad to the summit.

Fans viewed George's partnership with fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard as a perfect match—two athletic studs who can efficiently operate on both ends of the floor.

But alas, the Clippers only advanced to a single Western Conference Finals with George and Leonard. After five largely uneventful seasons with the Clippers, George bolted and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason.

While they fell short of the goal, Clippers coach Ty Lue said the George-Leonard tandem wasn't a failure, according to a report from ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk .

"We never put our best team on the floor in the playoffs," Lue said. "That's when Kawhi's at his best, PG's (George) at his best. That's when I'm at my best.

"When you get to a seven-game series and you can pick teams apart offensively and defensively, we were never able to get to that point."

According to StatMuse , George and Leonard only played a total of 181 games together due to a rash of injuries. They went 13-13 in their 26 outings in the playoffs.

In the Clippers' last two postseason appearances—both first-round exits—Leonard only played a grand total of four games. George, meanwhile, suited up for a whopping six games, missing the 2023 playoffs entirely due to a knee injury.

"These guys put the hard work in," Lue said. "We took different approaches to help guys stay healthy and it just didn't work. We tried everything."

The one-time champion coach said he's prepared for life without George, noting that the addition of assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy has significant value. The two tacticians won a gold medal with Team USA in the Paris Olympics.

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