Kawhi Leonard’s teammates marvel at how much the Clippers’ star forward has dedicated himself to get his body back to peak level.
They have watched how Leonard has stayed the course despite the frequent times his body betrayed him. They have supported Leonard during the trying times with his health issues because they have seen how he refuses to wallow in self-pity.
They know what Leonard has done behind the scenes during rehabilitation when the media is not around and on those days and nights when a lot of teammates are not around.
The culmination of all those days in the lab this season working to get his right knee healthy was Leonard’s dominance in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Nuggets on Monday night in Denver.
He missed only four of 19 shots while pouring in 39 points over 39 minutes to help the Clippers even the series at 1-1 before they returned home for Game 3 on Thursday night and Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at the Intuit Dome.
James Harden was succinct in his praise for Leonard’s willingness to continually work on his body.
Read more: Kawhi Leonard’s 39-point effort powers Clippers to thrilling Game 2 win over Nuggets
“Every. Single. Day. Like, it’s the preparation,” Harden said late Monday night after Game 2 in Denver. “It’s the treatment. It’s the strengthening of his body. It’s the correctives. And then it’s like going on court and putting it all together and it’s consistent. Every. Single. Day…
“Luck hasn’t been on his side or whatever the case you might call it. But he loves to hoop. And as you see, when he’s on the court, he’s a killer. Kawhi is just special.”
Leonard missed the first 34 games because of his ailing right knee. Then he played in only 37 games and just one set of back-to-back games.
He missed the last eight regular-season games last season because of right knee inflammation and played in only two of the Clippers’ six playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks because of the knee injury. When Leonard was invited to USA Basketball workouts in Las Vegas last summer, he was sent home to rest the knee and was unable to participate in the Paris Olympics.
None of that stopped Leonard from continuing his work.
Harden was asked if fans and NBA people have an appreciation for what Leonard has endured to get back here.
“Naw,” Harden answered immediately. “Naw, not even a little bit. It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through, what he’s not able to do because of something he can’t control. Like, we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight.
“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that’s out of their hands and they can’t control. It’s like it’s always the negative, it’s always the hate that people talk about, which is something that we got to live with, I guess, in this world. But as for me being close with him, every single day and seeing the work he puts in, you appreciate him.”
In interviews this season, Leonard has talked about how his “love” for the game keeps bringing him back and how he just grinds and keeps his head down.
Before his difficult end to last season, he played in just two playoff games during the Clippers’ series against the Phoenix Suns in 2023 because of a meniscus tear. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Now he is healthy and wants to be there for his teammates in the playoffs.
“I”m just happy that I’m able to move and I’m coming out the game feeling well and that’s what I’m taking my pride in is just being healthy,” he said. “I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past few years. So, being able to be frontline out there, it just feels good to me no matter which way the game goes. That’s what I’m taking pride in. I just want to be out there and play and be frontline with my team.”
Over six seasons with the Clippers, he has played in 266 out of a possible 492 regular-season games. Injuries have robbed him of so many games yet he keeps coming back.
“Every time someone gives up on him, he comes back,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated to keeping his body right and sometimes some unfortunate things happen. But you can’t control that. But it’s not a lack of work. It’s not from a lack of wanting to be here and just sometimes some bad luck hits. But he’s going to keep coming back and he’s going to get to this point where he is right now and that’s why I’m so happy for him.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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