Kawhi Leonard Downplays Bench Role in First Game Back From Injury

Kawhi Leonard played his first official NBA game since the 2021 playoffs on Thursday night, and he came off the Clippers bench as the team tries to load manage him this season. However, that wasn’t an issue with Leonard.

After the game, Leonard explained it didn’t bother him that he had to wait 15 more minutes to make his return to the league.

“It was long but I waited 82 games last year, so I didn’t think 15 minutes would be that long,” he said. “This is how I started my career. That’s how I approached it, mentally. Act like I was in foul trouble and once I check in the 2nd quarter, it’s time to play basketball.”

Leonard had surgery on a partially torn ACL in the July of 2021, which ultimately cost him the entire 2021-22 season. He has had an extensive injury history, so Los Angeles plans on limiting his minutes to start the year, but Leonard did come off the bench to begin his career with the Spurs, so it isn’t completely new to him.

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In the season opener vs. the Lakers, Leonard played 21 minutes and scored 14 points as part of a 103-97 win. As part of his load management plan, Leonard will sit in one of the Clippers back-to-back games this weekend.

Still, the Clippers are happy to just have Leonard back healthy enough to play, and it seems that the star forward is comfortable coming off the bench in an effort to keep him healthy for the playoffs in the spring.

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