Los Angeles Clippers Kawhi Leonard is hounded by serious controversies this summer, most especially his and team owner Steve Ballmer’s alleged attempt to circumvent the NBA salary cap through a dubious financial deal.
Th Klaw has been very focused on the team right now and the team are doing their best to end that issue. He has been active in team’s practices and was present in their first three pre-season games. This is the first time in multiple years that he was able to participate in pre-season activities.
It is a beautiful sight for Clippers fans to have the two-time Finals MVP with them to start the season. Even former player turned commentator Kendrick Perkins thinks it begs for a conversation.
“Kawhi Leonard playing in the preseason game? When’s the last time we saw Kawhi play in a preseason game? But here’s the thing, right?” Perkins said on ESPN.
“It’s so much noise going on about Kawhi Leonard outside the lines; the only way to quiet that noise is by going out there and performing on the floor at a high level.”
Kawhi Leonard load management might not be over yet
Leonard is going to start the season at last. The question now is how much available he is going to be? The 34-year-old star has a rich history of missing games, even when he was not injured. He was one of those who started conversations about load management.
One way the Clippers manage his health is by preventing him from doing back to backs. If he is healthier now and is ready for the season opener, does that mean he will be able to play two successive games?
Head coach Ty Lue does not want to give a definitive answer to the question.
Tyronn Lue on Kawhi Leonard’s status in back-to-backs to start the season:
“We’re not going to answer that right now… it’s a good question, but we don’t know right now.” pic.twitter.com/lL7FZpbV9Y
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 14, 2025
Leonard played just 37 regular games last season but he did make it to the end stretch and was able to play all seven games of the playoffs.
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