The Clippers are interested in Brian Shaw as an assistant coach

The Clippers are reportedly set to lose three assistant coaches this offseason, and now there is finally some traction on who will replace them.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Clippers are working with Brian Shaw to be an assistant for Ty Lue. Shaw was an NBA assistant for 11 years on the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers and also spent almost two seasons as the head coach for the Denver Nuggets. This last year, he was the coach for Ignite, the G League team that served as an alternate pro pathway for prospects who elected to skip college.

The preps-to-pro model is shifting now that the NCAA is allowing athletes to profit off their name and image likenesses. That increases the viability of top players going to college instead of the G League or another professional league immediately, which could significantly change the talent pool Shaw would be working with on Ignite. The team offered Shaw an extension last month, but Shaw elected to return to the NBA.

The Clippers are a good fit for Shaw’s return. He’s a California native and has roots in Los Angeles from his time with the Lakers. He also played with Lue, and Lue said during the preseason that Shaw was one of his best veterans, the one who taught him to “always tell the truth, whether they like it or not”. Lue also noted that he used Shaw as a sounding board during the playoffs just to get some perspective from outside the team.

Shaw’s tenure on the Pacers coincided with that of Paul George, and George has credited Shaw with helping him develop into an All-Star. Considering that Chauncey Billups was the assistant who reportedly spent the most time with George last year, it would be useful for the Clippers to fill his spot with someone who also knows George well.