For years, Kawhi Leonard has been the subject of criticism over his availability, with fans and media often accusing the Clippers star of choosing to sit out games.
But head coach Tyronn Lue has made it clear that the narrative doesn’t match the reality.
Lue defended Leonard against claims that he avoids playing back-to-backs, stressing that the decisions come from the Clippers’ staff and not the player.
“I feel sorry for him, you know?,” Lue said while appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay. “Because all the work he puts in – we see it every day. And just what it takes to get on the floor on a consistent basis – it takes a lot for him to get out there. And so it’s not like he’s wanting to sit out and miss games,” Lue said. “He puts the work in every single day. And the grind that he has to do to even get on the floor to play – it’s just tough.”
Lue went further, explaining that Leonard often pushes himself harder than he should.
“So when he tries to push through that threshold himself, he gets himself in trouble,” Lue said. “So a lot of times, it’s coming from us. It’s coming from Lawrence Frank, the medical staff. We’ve got to protect him from himself. Because you know sometimes he wants to play back-to-backs. . . And it’s just tough because he’s not a guy that wants to sit out. Not wanting to play. His whole mindset is to win championships – and that’s what he wants to do.”
This past season, Leonard managed only 37 appearances while recovering from another knee injury sustained in the 2024 playoffs against Dallas.
He still averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals on shooting splits of 49.8 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from deep and 81 percent from the line.
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