Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers thinks that reports of his team having bad chemistry are vastly overstated.
A report from The Athletic claimed that some Clipper players have struggled to accept the organization’s preferential treatment of star acquisitions Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, including the load management that Leonard has subscribed to. This all comes as news to Rivers, who said Friday that he thought the team’s chemistry was great, and that every player gets special treatment at some point.
Doc, asked abt Athletic report, said in part, "Like I’ve always said everyone’s not treated the same, they shouldn’t be. This team as far as chemistry has been phenomenal. This has been a joyful team. Other than injury this has been a joy to coach so far."
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) January 25, 2020
Doc, asked about preferential treatment for Kawhi:
"Nothing more than anyone else gets. They all get special treatment. … I would say all 15 of my players get preferential treatment at some point and they’re going to continue to get that."
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) January 25, 2020
To be clear, the report doesn’t necessarily state the Clippers are splintering. Indeed, one player eagerly denied the story after it came out. What is true is that there is an adaptation process that is inevitable when two new superstars are added to the mix as the focal points of a team. Rivers doesn’t really hide from the chatter, but he certainly disputes that it’s a huge issue. He may end up being right, though he doesn’t exactly deny anything, either.
Clippers fans, show everyone who runs Los Angeles with this great “We Run LA” shirt:
