Why did Kawhai Leonard start in the bench against the Lakers? When will he return to the starting five?
Given what the Clippers star is capable of when healthy, it’s no wonder that his team is taking a cautious approach to his return.
It’s been more than a year since the Clippers star last played in the NBA and his road to recovery has been difficult to say the least. Fans were of course overjoyed to have him back, but also confused as to why he was coming off the bench.
Kawhi Leonard comes off the bench in Clippers win
Let’s start with the big picture. On Thursday night, following almost 500 days away from the game as a result of injury, Kawhi Leonard returned to the Clippers and helped them to claim a 103-97 victory over the Lakers in what was actually their eighth consecutive head-to-head victory over their neighbors. Where Leonard was concerned, the two-time NBA Finals MVP posted 14 points on six-of-12 shooting, got himself seven rebounds and two assists and in total play 21 minutes. Now for the details: Kawhi Leonard came off the bench for the first time since November 10th, 2013, a decision that left most shocked and wanting some kind of explanation. Leonard himself addressed the situation.
“Like I told [coach Tyronn] Lue, whatever way with his subs and what he thinks how it should go without me affecting the game and causing people to get out of rhythm, I’m for it,” Leonard said. “I just want to win.”
The Clippers are playing it safe with Kawhi Leonard
An ACL tear is no small thing. If one thing is clear about the Clippers decision to bring Leonard off the bench, it’s that they understand and respect the serious nature of the injury that he suffered. Indeed, the team has been extremely cautious with their star, slowly increasing his workload with the intention of helping him to arrive at optimum fitness when the postseason rolls around. It’s understood, that the decision was taken collectively after examining a number of factors. Most important among them was the question of how to ensure that Leonard could play at his best in the most impactful minutes of the game i.e., the fourth quarter’s end.
As things stand, the team is not using a predetermined number of minutes, but rather assessing Leonard’s workload in real time. From the length and intensity of his moments on court, to how much time passes between them, the idea here is clearly to give him the best possible chance to return to full strength. In keeping with that framework, it makes sense that Leonard did not start, in fact the team cited their desire to see him close as the main reason he couldn’t be in the starting lineup and Leonard himself seemed to agree. “Starting I would have been sitting like 35 minutes real time, so that’s way too long so I just felt that this was the best situation,” he said.
How did Kawhi Leonard look on court?
It was the final six minutes of the second quarter, when Leonard checked in for the Clippers who at the time were enjoying a 12-point lead. Interestingly, even Lakers fans applauded the star when he made his way onto the court. It wouldn’t be long before he had already drained two shots, the first of which came at Juan Toscano-Anderson’s expense after he was backed down and beaten for a turnaround jumper. “I thought he looked good,” Lue said. “I thought he got tired in stretches, but I thought he had good pop to start the game after sitting for so long.” The length of time was of course something that Leonard couldn’t help but mention when discussing the wait. “It was long,” Leonard said. “But I waited 82 games last year, so I didn’t think 15 minutes would be that long.”
When will Kawhi Leonard be a starter again?
One thing that Lue and the Clippers are clearly intent on, is seeing to it that when spring rolls around, Leonard is at his peak. “It’s going to be some times where he looks like Kawhi Leonard and some times where he’s just trying to get a feel and not playing well,” Lue said. “He has to understand that as great as he is, it’s not going to come overnight. We’ve got to be patient with him in that regard and he has to be patient with himself as well.”
To that point, Lue again reiterated the idea that it was “everybody’s idea,” to reintroduce Leonard bit by bit and more importantly from the bench. the Clippers coach also went on to indicate that Leonard’s minutes and role as a starter will change as he makes progress. “It’s not like it’s going to be long-term, it can always change if he doesn’t feel comfortable doing it and it’s something we can do better for him,” Lue said. “Tonight’s how it’s going to go and we’ll see how it goes from there.”