The Los Angeles Clippers are heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs as the fifth-placed team in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. While they are tied with the Denver Nuggets (their first-round playoff matchup) and the Los Angeles Lakers, they remain the fifth seed. The Clippers were the final team in the West to achieve such a record and is why they will start the postseason in fifth place.
On Wednesday, the Clippers had their team practice and head coach Ty Lue talked about one player whom he wants to score aggressively. Lue thinks 6-foot-9 guard-forward Ben Simmons should be a more assertive scorer. With their season on the line, making the most of their chances is what the team needs, as it could change how the series is played.
Clippers insider Tomer Azarly asked the head coach if he needed to remind Simmons to score. Lue said this:
“Yeah, we did. We talked about it the last couple of days and today he was aggressive attacking the basket, playing with pace, getting to the rim, making the plays, finishing at the rim. We need him to be aggressive. The pace is great, but also look at the rim to be a scoring threat.”
Me: “Do you have to remind Ben Simmons to look to score?”
Tyronn Lue: “Yeah, we did. We talked about it the last couple of days and today he was aggressive attacking the basket, playing with pace, getting to the rim, making the plays, finishing at the rim. We need him to be… pic.twitter.com/QQP8Rbo1tO
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 16, 2025
Simmons is known for not being a forceful scorer. Even with his size, strength, and quickness, the Clippers star frequently favors playing the role of facilitator.
The Brooklyn Nets acquired the Australian guard on February 8. Shortly after, he was signed by the Los Angeles Clippers on a one-year, $1.08 million contract. Simmons has played in 18 games this season and averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 43.4 percent shooting from the field.
Los Angeles Clippers head coach details the difference of having Simmons and Nicolas Batum playing
The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t afraid of going small for certain periods. With the depth they have, the Clippers can put Simmons at center, giving more options for other players to space the floor. The team can go even smaller, with Nicolas Batum, who’s 6-foot-8. With Batum, L.A. can go smaller and have more freedom to space the defense with their outside shooting.
On Wednesday, Lue explained the difference between having Simmons and Batum at the five.
“Ben’s ability to push the basketball in transition, make plays, get people easy shots. With Nico, if he’s at the 5, being able to stretch the floor. If Joker’s gonna blitz or in the drop, he has to recover back to Nico who can shoot the basketball, get to the next action, and try to move Joker around a little bit,” Lue said.
Tyronn Lue on the difference with Ben Simmons and Nicolas Batum at the 5:
“Ben's ability to push the basketball in transition, make plays, get people easy shots. With Nico, if he's at the 5, being able to stretch the floor. If Joker's gonna blitz or in the drop, he has to… pic.twitter.com/mVqtoBAD2I
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 16, 2025
The head coach has three excellent options at the center spot, including Ivica Zubac, who’s having one of the best seasons of his career. With that much depth, the Los Angeles Clippers are hoping to make it interesting against the Nuggets in the first round.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
