After his healthiest regular season in years, Kawhi Leonard’s postseason ended like so many before it: in street clothes and with an injury.
Now, two months after missing the Clippers’ final three playoff games with lingering knee inflammation, Leonard is preparing with Team USA for the Summer Olympics in Paris. What do the Clippers think about their oft-injured star exposing himself to more injury risk to play for another team? Are they concerned?
“Not really,” Leonard said Sunday. by ESPN“They were positive about the situation, so they weren’t too worried about it.”
Leonard addressed the topic while speaking to reporters at Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas. He said his knee has improved since the NBA postseason, leading him to accept USA Basketball’s invitation to play on a star-studded Olympic roster that includes fellow former NBA Finals MVPs LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
“I took my time and I was able to get better over the last two weeks,” Leonard said. “Now I’m here and yeah, I’m having a good time.”
A six-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Leonard has few holes on his Hall of Fame resume. An Olympic gold medal is one of them. This summer will mark Leonard’s first time playing in the Olympics. At 33 years old and with a lengthy injury history, there’s a good chance it will also be his last Olympics, no doubt a motivating factor in his decision to play this summer.
“I always wanted to play against other talents from abroad and other styles and plays of basketball,” Leonard said. according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s one of the reasons I love the game.”
Meanwhile, the Clippers are going through a significant transition period following the departure of Paul George as a free agent to the Philadelphia 76ers. They don’t project to compete for a championship following George’s departure, but they will lean more heavily on Leonard as the team’s No. 1 option going forward.
It’s a risky proposition for a player who has seen the end of each of the Clippers’ last three playoff runs from the bench because of injuries. That doesn’t include the 2021-22 season in which the Clippers missed the playoffs when Leonard missed the season with a torn ACL.
But for now, Leonard is healthy and says “everything has been going well,” having participated fully in Team USA’s first two practices. He’s not worried about the risk of injury. And, according to Leonard, the Clippers aren’t all that worried, either.