Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue recently dispelled the notion that Kawhi Leonard only plays when he pleases, saying that the latter is one of the hardest-working players he has ever coached.
Lue admitted that he “feels sorry” for the Los Angeles Clippers forward. Lue knows that Leonard wants to play as many games as possible to help the team, but can’t due to his injury history.
“I feel sorry for him, you know? Because all the work he puts in – we see it every day. And just what it takes to get on the floor on a consistent basis – it takes a lot for him to get out there. And so it’s not like he’s wanting to sit out and miss games,” Tyronn Lue said on Club Shay Shay. “He puts the work in every single day. And the grind that he has to do to even get on the floor to play – it’s just tough.”
“We’ve got to protect him from himself. Because you know, sometimes he wants to play back-to-backs. And it’s just tough because he’s not a guy that wants to sit out. Not wanting to play. His whole mindset is to win championships – and that’s what he wants to do,” he reiterated.
Los Angeles Clippers News: Kawhi Leonard has drawn inspiration from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
In the same interview, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said that he tried to instill the lessons he learned from playing with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in Kawhi Leonard.
“When I first got here, I went down to San Diego a couple of summers and just worked with him and showed him the moves and the routines that me and Jordan did every single morning,” Lue narrated.
“We got it down, and I just showed him all the different things that I learned from Jordan and Kobe. Just the footwork and stuff. He picked it up and really embraces it,” he added.
