When the 2022-23 season tipped off, Kawhi Leonard was playing short minutes (right knee management) off the bench. It was uncertain whether the two-time NBA champion would ever return to full form.
Now, after a 50-game ramp-up process, the Leonard fans know and love is back, and he’s leading the Clippers above play-in seeding and on a four-game winning streak.
Leonard has looked great. He’s dominated the league over his last nine appearances, averaging 29 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. His three-point shooting has also turned a corner — at 45.2 percent throughout the stretch — after he made just 26.6 percent to begin the season.
His strong performances have not only been joyous for his fans and coaches but also for his teammates. Players such as Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann and Nicolas Batum, who had to replace his offensive and defensive abilities for about 1.5 seasons, now get to resume their original roles.
It’s clear that the Clippers are at their best when Leonard is on the floor consistently. Paul George, who’s averaging 24.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds throughout the four-game win streak, agreed.
“The great thing about ‘Whi… is just the confidence he gives, just to everybody. He’s the one guy that’s just the most consistent, and when you’re on the floor with him, he just has so much of that confidence in him that it just bleeds out to the whole team,” George said, per Law Murray of The Athletic.
Leonard has picked up where he left off — which was in the 2020-21 Western Conference semifinals against the Jazz — before he tore his right ACL. In that series, he averaged 27.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and four assists, on a steady 50.6 percent mark from the field.
The Clippers needed Leonard to help them escape their mediocre 23-24 start. Now, just 2.5 games out of the third seed, the Clippers hope he can continue helping them gain separation from the rest of the West.
For the fun guy, the stats don’t matter. All he wants to do is win.
The Clippers are 27-24 with 31 games to play.
