Kawhi Leonard doesn\u2019t want to miss games. No player in the NBA is complacent enough to want to actively miss playing 48 minutes of basketball. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of basketball and Leonard hasn\u2019t been dealt a steady hand in that department. Clippers bench boss, Ty Lue, cleared the air on some misguided rumors regarding the same.<\/p>\n
Leonard\u2019s<\/a> injury history dates back to his final season with the Spurs. He had dealt with injuries prior but his strained quad in 2017-18 seems to have been the first domino to fall in terms of his declining lower extremities health.<\/p>\n Fast-forward seven years and he\u2019s still dealing with knee issues. He missed the first 34 games of the 2024-25 season due to knee inflammation and swelling. He played merely 37 games, averaging 21.5 points on 41.1% shooting from 3.<\/p>\n A key detail was him playing just a single set of back-to-backs last season. He\u2019s been advised to not do so for several years now depending on the severity of his injuries. Lue<\/a> let it be known that this isn\u2019t an indictment on Leonard\u2019s commitment to playing but rather a reinforcement of just how much he desires to consistently get back on NBA hardwood.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel sorry for him. It\u2019s because of all the work he puts in. We see it every day. It\u2019s not like he\u2019s wanting to sit out and miss games. A lot of times, it\u2019s coming from us, it\u2019s coming from Lawrence Frank, the medical staff. We gotta protect him from himself.\u201d<\/p>\n