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Kawhi Leonard is off to a slow start in the NBA this season. He has only appeared in five of the Los Angeles Clippers' 19 games this season. Kawhi's injury status and physical condition were discussed on the most recent episode of "Hoop Collective."
As Leonard tries to get himself together to play and be ready for the playoffs, the hosts discuss his new physical condition. Not only did they believe that Kawhi has hit the gym hard this offseason, but maybe it was too hard, and he bulked up a little too much. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk has a new take on Leonard’s name.
"I call him 'Kawad Leonard', he's got Saquon Barkley like quads." - Ohm Youngmisuk
He added,
"He spent 15 months bulking up because he chooses not to play five on five, four on four, three on three in the off season so he just spent all his time in the gym and so perhaps he did maybe get a little too muscular." - Youngmisuk
One key point that was made was that Leonard did not play any 5 on 5, or 4 on 4 basketball during the offseason. Even though he has done a lot of weight training, it is going to take a while for him to get his basketball conditioning in line to play a solid NBA game. The Clippers are being careful because they don’t want to risk any further injury.
Will we ever see a Healthy Kawhi Leonard?
Kawhi Leonard has missed a lot of time in his NBA career, and he is not getting any younger. As players get older, they are more likely to get injured. A player with Leonard’s history does not tend to get better after age 30. Kawhi is currently 31 years old. In the games he has played he hasn’t looked like his All-Star self.
Leonard only played 20 minutes against the Utah Jazz on November 21st, and he only scored 8 points in the Clippers' win. He is unlikely to play in the team's upcoming game against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. So the question is whether we've seen the last of Kawhi Leonard, the All-NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
How many years will he even attempt to play in the league? The Clippers are attempting to manage Leonard's workload, but if other players such as Paul George are unable to play, will the team even make the playoffs? The team is paying more than $42 million this season for a player who rarely plays and has him under contract for two years after this season. As a result, they will have to commit to trying to solve this problem.
