Kawhi Leonard, the star forward of the Los Angeles Clippers, completed a triply improbable return to stardom. He’s rebounded from a mini plague of injuries that sidelined him for much of the last several campaigns. He missed the first four months of this young season. His ability to build on those elite skills now have fans and analysts brimming with hope for the Clippers’ playoff potential.
His road back to the court began with a disappointment. He sustained a torn meniscus in the first game of the 2023 playoffs. This injury followed a series of unfortunate events. In 2021, the athlete tore their ACL in a second round series against the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, injuries have severely limited his time on the floor. During that time, Leonard has appeared in only 266 of a possible 492 regular-season games, or 54% of the games available since he became a Clipper.
Over the course of his recovery, the Clippers have been strategic in monitoring Leonard’s load. No doubt they frequently and effectively implement load management strategies that are carefully targeted, but they largely avoid showcasing these efforts publicly. We’ve instead constructed a career pipeline burdened by ambiguity and guesswork. Because of that, Leonard quickly became one of the NBA’s most fascinating “what-ifs” in recent memory.
Then, in December, he posted a video that served as a major indication of his rehabilitation progress. By the middle of January, Leonard was back on the court and almost immediately demonstrated his talent. After his return, he only suited up for 37 games with the Clippers. That works out to a tremendous pace of 26-11, or 58 wins for a full season. That hot streak pushed the squad from the sixth seed in the Western Conference up the standings and into a tie for its third-best full-season record.
Leonard’s performance has been otherworldly. In his first time on the playoff stage, he delivered dropping 39 points on an outstanding 15-of-19 shooting performance against the Denver Nuggets. He was incredible during his first two playoff games, showing remarkable efficiency on offense. He averaged 30.5 points in those games, on 71% shooting—50% from beyond the arc.
Statistics further highlight Leonard’s defensive prowess. In Game 1 against Denver, he held opponents to 2-of-5 shooting (40%) as the primary defender. This defensive prowess found a new level in Game 2, as he forced his opponents to miss 10 of their 12 total shots (16.67%) against him. His capacity to wreak havoc on both sides of the court hasn’t slipped past comrades.
Nikola Jokic, center for the Nuggets, commented on Leonard’s scoring ability during these critical moments:
“But are they really tough shots for him, a guy who’s been making those for such a long time?” – Nikola Jokic
Leonard continues to face the challenges of his injuries and ongoing recovery with incredible resolve. He accepts the unpredictability that comes with his health condition and interiorizes the difference of needing to learn quickly. James Harden, another NBA star, empathized with athletes facing similar struggles:
“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that is out of their hands, where they can’t control, it’s always the negative.” – James Harden
As the Clippers continue to push their luck deeper into these playoffs, they’ve come to overrely on Leonard’s production. His performance is enough to lift the overall morale of the whole team. In addition, it further reinforces the possibility that he’s capable of when completely healthy.
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