Kawhi Leonard Is Once Again Source of All Frustrations for Clippers

It is becoming harder and harder to justify the LA Clippers jumping through hoops to appease Kawhi Leonard.

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It has been a frustrating first month of the season for the Los Angeles Clippers. Sitting at 4-10 and in 11th-place in the Western Conference, the Clippers are one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA. While there is plenty of blame to go around, including Lawrence Frank's questionable offseason moves, Ty Lue's rotations, and the decline of veterans, the main problem is, once again, Kawhi Leonard.

Not only are the Clippers currently the subject of a cap circumvention investigation because of their dealings with Leonard, but they are also not getting enough from the 34-year-old small forward. Leonard is set to miss his ninth straight game with an ankle and foot sprain on Thursday, and is nowhere near returning. This will be the 54th game Leonard will have missed since the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Kawhi Leonard Experience Has Officially Soured to a Point of No Return in LA

Last season, Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season with knee inflammation. It was later revealed that he had suffered a setback during the offseason when he was with the US national team. The year prior to that, Leonard missed all but two games in the playoffs, and the Clippers lost in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks. It was the same story in the 2023 postseason as well. Leonard played only two games, and the Clippers lost in the first round.

Leonard has missed 214 regular-season games since joining the Clippers in 2019. These extended absences make it very hard for the Clippers to find continuity and build team chemistry. It puts more mileage and a bigger workload on the rest of the players, just to get the team into the playoffs. This is happening with James Harden this year, who has been playing over 36 minutes per game just to keep the Clippers afloat.

The uncertainty around Leonard's injuries is almost as frustrating as the absences themselves. Leonard's camp and the team have not been very transparent about the severity of his ailments, leading Clippers fans to play a guessing game about his availability. This is not a fun game to play.

Leonard has long operated separately from the Clippers. The organization has gone above and beyond to appease Leonard, who has his own staff and medical team. One could argue that this was needed to make sure Leonard stayed a Clipper, but things have soured to a point where the juice is no longer worth the squeeze. If Leonard were giving the Clippers MVP-caliber play when available, one could make a case that this whole thing was worth it. Leonard is no longer that level of player, making this "jumping through hoops to keep him happy" act difficult to justify.