Participating in every regular season game is a priority for some NBA players.
For a Los Angeles Clippers superstar and six-time All-Star, the main goal heading into the new season is slightly different.
“As I get older, guys aren’t doing what I’m doing pretty much,” Kawhi Leonard told Sports Illustrated's Joey Linn on Saturday. “You don’t see it around the league. Even when I was young…This is what I work for. I strive to get a championship. I’m not out there to try to play 82 games. I’m trying to win. Even though that’s obligated for me. I try to, but it hasn’t worked out.”
Last season, Leonard led the Clippers in scoring and steals while appearing in 68 games, averaging 23.7 points and 1.6 takeaways per contest.
Since joining the Clippers in 2019, Leonard has yet to reach the 70-game mark due to load management and various injuries. Regarding the postseason, the pull-up jump-shooting guru and defensive disrupter hasn't finished a series since 2020, when the Clippers collapsed against the Denver Nuggets after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead.
Leonard has won two titles in his career and was expected to help Los Angeles earn their first championship in franchise history, but it hasn’t materialized through five seasons. After the devastating letdown in the bubble, the Clippers reached the Western Conference finals despite losing Leonard to a season-ending ACL injury.
They missed the playoffs in 2022 while Leonard rehabbed from his significant setback, but they’ve reached the playoffs the past two seasons. Unfortunately, Leonard's torn meniscus and right knee injury resulted in back-to-back first-round exits for Los Angeles.
The Clippers may not need Leonard to be available for 100% of their regular season contests, but his inability to remain available for the postseason is becoming problematic. Striving for a championship is an admirable goal, but it won’t occur if Leonard must watch Los Angeles’ playoff clashes from the bench.
Until Leonard proves he can stay healthy in the postseason regularly, the Clippers will likely continue to fall short when it matters most.
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