As the NBA playoffs approach, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is focused on maximizing Ben Simmons‘ potential.

After a challenging season, the former No. 1 pick has been urged to take a more aggressive scoring mindset.

Simmons has faced scrutiny for his lack of offensive output, and, apparently, he has been reminded by Lue to look for his own shot more often. The Clippers coach emphasized the importance of being assertive for the overall benefit of the team.

“Yeah, 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,” Lue said when asked if he had reminded Simmons to be aggressive on the offensive end, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

“We need him to be aggressive. The pace is great, but also look at the rim to be a scoring threat.”

The Clippers finished the regular season with a 50-32 record and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

James Harden, Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard have led the team, with all three players averaging more than 20 points per game. 

Ben Simmons, for his part, has been a decent backup guard for the Clippers. As Tyronn Lue said, though, his offense leaves much to be desired. In 18 games for L.A. since signing with the team in February, he has put up just 2.9 points and attempted fewer than three shots per game despite playing an average of 16.4 minutes.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Ben Simmons during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings.

© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As the playoffs begin, all eyes will be on Simmons to see if he can embrace this new approach and become a more prominent scoring threat for the Clippers.

L.A. faces the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 1 of the series scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.