After the Clippers’ final summer league game, a resounding 92-77 win over the Celtics that brought their record to 2-3, Clipperblog was able to catch up with acting head coach, Robert Pack. Pack reflected on his week this the team, the development of some young guys, the role of veterans, and his own performance as the leader.
On summer league cult hero (and All-Star snub) Morrison:
Adam’s been amazing. He came in and was a guy who we knew could put the ball in the hole. We tried to put him in situations where he could be successful, not have to force shots and play his game. I think he took advantage of the opportunity and played very well. It was good to see him have somewhat of a big come out.
On Morrison saying his goal was to change the perception of him:
You know what, I don’t know exactly what the perception was, but just a little bit knowing that people thought he was just a shooter. And I think today he did a very good job of using screens, getting off the ball, attacking the basket. You know, when the guys doubled him, he made good passes, and it just showed that sometimes guys are just shooters, they only see you if you’re sitting on top of the rim. But today he was able to make some passes that was really just showing him playing good basketball.
On Eric Bledsoe:
I think he did great with the things we wanted him to work on. His decision making, getting in the paint, and finding the right plays, and I think he did that. You know, sometimes you’re playing with a new group, you know, timing is off, so he had some turnovers. But I told him not to worry about that. You were in there, trying to make the right plays, making the right passes, and guys don’t make shots, assists dont look like you had a lot — but he was making the right plays from a coach and watching the game and going back and watching the film over, as I have in summer league. He was doing the right things.
On Talor Battle and Cameron Moore:
I love both of those guys. Before we came in, I thought both of those guys had talent. Talor really came out and ran the show. We talked about getting better and better at running the show, and once Bledsoe left and he was able to be the lead guard, he did a great job of that. Cameron Moore is a talent that I think people will recognize some time soon because he’s a long guy who played in the post at UAB from what I hear, but he was able to move around on the perimeter and show that he had pretty good touch. He’s more of a stretchy guy, and that’s what we tried to do — tried to put him in position to take advantage of what I thought was better for his skill set.
On coaching the team:
I felt good. I mean, I wanted to be comfortable out there. You know, going from that assistant role to now, being a head guy and having all these different things in your head and still trying to have a good feel for the game and make the right calls and put guys in different positions, and I felt I was able to do that. I thought I recognized the different guys’ skill sets and I thought I put them in positions to have success.
On being able to implement counters that he had spoken of earlier in the week:
Absolutely. You have all these things, a whole pocket full of counters and plays, and as the game starts to slow down, you can think things through, and I think today I was able to do a better job of finding those counters and throwing some wrinkles in there that the other team wasn’t prepared for.
On having a team led by veterans:
That was great. You can’t put a whole lot in because it’s summer league and you only have four days of practice, but the things we put in, they were able to execute very well. And it helps, again, when the ball’s going in the hole, it looks even better. But today they were sharp, looked for each other, made the right cuts, made the right passes on time and it really showed on the court today.
