Kawhi Leonard returned to NBA action on Saturday night, making his season debut against the Atlanta Hawks.
He started and played 19 minutes, scoring 12 points to go along with three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and two turnovers. The Clippers won 131-105.
Leonard last played on Apr. 26, 2024 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
Speaking after the game, Leonard noted that the hard work to get back to action makes playing the game easy.
“[There] was nothing hard about playing tonight,” Leonard said. “We did the right steps to get me to this point, and playing basketball was the easy part of it. This is what I love to do. The hard part is not playing and having to rehab and not competing with my teammates.”
Kawhi Easing Back
The minutes restriction was to be expected and there were glimpses of the moves that can make him so devastating at his best.
He certainly favored playing on the perimeter as evidenced by his five three-point attempts (made three). There were a few occasions where he looked to attack the offensive glass and he did look for his opportunities in the mid-range as well.
Most encouragingly, there was an almost vintage play when he picked the ball off De’Andre Hunter while defending him but then missed the layup in transition. Leonard missed all three of his shots at the rim and was 1-for-3 from the mid-range.
His rust level was as you’d expect, though it was interesting to see him play 15 of his 19 minutes in the first half.
Clippers Outlook
At 20-15, L.A. is right in the thick of it in the West.
Second-seeded Houston is just 2.5 games ahead while 10th seeded Minnesota is 2.5 games behind. The Clippers are tied with Dallas and a half-game behind Denver and the Lakers.
The Mavs have lost four straight in the wake of Luka Doncic’s injury, but the Lakers are surging with seven wins in the last nine games. Memphis, third in the West, is currently missing Ja Morant. All told, this is an opportunity to find a way into one of the top six spots going into the All-Star break.
One would imagine that Leonard’s days of playing back-to-backs are over, and the Clippers have nine remaining on the season. In establishing an identity without their superstar forward, there will be confidence the team can withstand any further absences for Leonard.
James Harden took on even more of a playmaking role with Leonard back, dishing out 15 assists against the Hawks. Norman Powell led the Clippers in scoring with 20 points, while Ivica Zubac continued his excellent season with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists.
