Daryl Morey Uses Kawhi Leonard Example Looking at Sixers’ Next Season

The Philadelphia 76ers hope to see their core back in action consistently next season.

Mar 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is fouled while driving for a score past Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) and forward Tobias Harris (12) to tie the game at 104 in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After a disaster season for the Philadelphia 76ers, Daryl Morey and the front office don’t seem to be hitting the panic button. While some key changes to the strategy will be made, the Sixers ultimately have their core in place. They simply need key players such as Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid to get healthy.

While that’s not a guarantee, Morey looks at the Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and hopes for a similar scenario in Philadelphia with Embiid.

“Obviously, these injuries are hard to project. Hard to know how many you’ll have,” Morey told 97.5 The Fanatic on Thursday. “I would mention, for example, if folks were to say when Kawhi Leonard pulls out of USAB last year, how many people would say he would be playing 45 minutes-plus in multiple very significant playoff games?”

The answer? Not many.

Similar to Embiid, Kawhi Leonard has a tough history dealing with injuries. Fortunately for Leonard, he’s seen success at the highest level early on in his career, winning two NBA Championships. But since his miraculous run with the Toronto Raptors, Leonard has struggled to stay healthy enough to lead the LA Clippers to a title.

"It looks optimistic. He is with the doctor who worked with Kawhi. He is working hard, doing whatever he can to get back on the floor."

-Daryl Morey on Joel Embiid

📸-Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/0pvqycGwdq

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) May 8, 2025

Heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, Leonard’s status was in question from the jump. He missed the first 34 games of the regular season. When he made his debut on January 4, he missed just 11 games for the remainder of the season. He played 37 matchups, along with all seven of the Clippers’ playoff games.

After Embiid saw the court for just 19 games in 2024-2025, the Sixers are hoping another knee surgery and extended time off allows him to get back on track for the 2025-2026 season. Morey doesn’t want to guarantee Embiid will be back in MVP form, playing more than half of the regular season, but he’s seen enough examples to know it’s possible.

“Brooke Lopez, who played 30 games when he was 33 years old, and prior to that, had played less games than Joel Embiid had played per season, then he comes out with a 78-game season, 79-game season, and an 80-game season over the last three,” Morey added.

“Look, they’re hard to predict. What you want to have in this league is a chance to win the title. You want to have elite players when they’re healthy. You want to have a good supporting cast, and we’ll have that next year.”