The moment the Los Angeles Clippers confirmed Paul George’s departure, plenty of questions began being asked out of Kawhi Leonard. Especially loud were queries of what went wrong with the partnership that was supposed to disrupt the hegemony in the NBA.
There are plenty of narratives going around on the straw that broke the camel’s back, which includes Kawhi signing an extension without PG13’s knowledge. With all the bridges burned, the Clippers would have to try to get out of the Western Conference without one of their most consistent players in the past four seasons.
When George left for the Philadelphia 76ers, fans naturally wanted to know what The Klaw thought about everything that’s happening. The reserved forward only had a couple of things to say about his former running mate.
Kawhi Leonard focuses on winning with the Los Angeles Clippers without Paul George
Leonard is a part of Team USA’s 12-man roster and is fully committed to bringing home the gold medal back to US soil. The media naturally asked him about what’s next after George left the team, and his response aimed to end all speculation.
Per Basketball Forever:
“Yeah, but this is just my journey, so whatever … I can’t lay out the perfect script for me,” Leonard told reporters on Sunday. “Last year, I tried to play as much as possible, felt great. And at a certain period of time I couldn’t go. I tried the best that I could, but it’s just my journey. I don’t want to be in a situation that I do be in, but I got to take it for what it is. And a lot of people are watching, supporters or doubters, but I motivate a lot of people.
“So, I got to keep doing what I’m doing and I might be the most known at the time right now, like injury or whatever, but people have, players have worse luck than I have. So just to being able to keep going and keep going is going to motivate the next guy that’s watching me. So I’m going to keep going until I can’t.”
Leonard had a good season despite missing time due to injuries. He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 steals, 1.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks on 52.5% shooting and 41.7% from three-point land.
He’ll be a crucial presence in the Los Angeles Clippers’ postseason hopes now that George won’t be there to pick up the slack when he’s out injured. Hopefully, he can play an entire season without any significant health woes.
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