Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue Shares Promising Update on Bradley Beal’s Return to Court

Bradley Beal is currently recovering from a minor knee procedure performed in May.

Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach Tyronn Lue shared a promising update on their newest star Bradley Beal. The Clippers acquired Beal on an $11 million, two-year deal, after the final two years of his contract were bought out by the Phoenix Suns. However, they have been without the three-time NBA All-Star for all their three preseason games so far, owing to his recovery from a minor knee procedure performed in May.

However, following the Clippers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets in their second preseason matchup on Sunday, Lue provided encouraging news about Beal. He said that the 32-year-old could return to action in their clash against the Golden State Warriors on Friday. “If he keeps progressing the way he is, hopefully we’ll get a chance to see him on Friday. We’ll just see,” Lue said after a 102-94 loss to the Nuggets.

Notably, the addition of Beal is a significant upgrade for the Clippers, who fell to the Denver Nuggets in seven games during the opening round of last season’s playoffs. He averaged 17 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor, 39% from three-point range and 80% from the foul line. Out of 53, Beal started 38 games for the Suns.

Bradley Beal’s Impact with the Los Angeles Clippers

When Bradley Beal first joined the team, head coach Tyronn Lue was clear about his expectations from him. In one of his interviews, Lue told Club Shay Shay, “We’re gonna need him to score, but outside of scoring, we’re [going to] need him to make plays for other guys, too. He’s gonna draw two or three guys, and he can make a pass or a play.”

Another time, he said, “Players of this caliber are very rare, and they’re hard to come by. He’s been the best player on his team. You can put him in so many different spots and he’ll find ways to score: out of pick-and-roll, coming off screens, catch-and-shoot.”

The Clippers have a veteran core with James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Chris Paul, and Beal’s inclusion can help them with the load management. If he averages 18-20 points per game with efficient shooting stats, it would reduce the load on the team’s aging stars. Speaking of the same with the Clippers, Lue told ClutchPoints, “Now with Bradley [Beal] out there, with Kawhi back healthy, and [Ivica Zubac] being able to post the basketball, we can take a lot of pressure off of James having to overcreate every night. He’s going to play his game, I’m just saying he doesn’t have to do it every time down the floor.”

Now that the Clippers’ coach has shared an update on Beal, fans have all the reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. With this kind of roster, the Clippers can match up to almost anyone in the Western Conference. Their regular season tips off on Wednesday, October 22 against the Utah Jazz.

Bradley Beal

Los Angeles Clippers

Tyronn Lue

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.