“He Brings That Fear Factor”: Isiah Thomas on What Kawhi Leonard’s Potential Return Means for the Clippers

Kawhi Leonard’s return appears to be imminent after being sidelined for a third of the season. The superstar forward has been allowed to practice without contact recently, which shows that the two-time NBA Champion’s season debut is not far. Isiah Thomas believes Leonard’s comeback, whenever it happens, will be a boon for the Clippers, who have exceeded expectations without their best player so far.

“If he’s [Kawhi] back in any kind of way, it just makes the Clippers that much better and that much more dangerous,” Thomas said. The Hall of Famer point guard lauded Leonard’s past achievements, claiming that the 33-year-old will reintegrate himself as an All-Star caliber player when he returns.

“You talking about a top 75 player when he’s healthy. That means he’s one of the best to ever do it on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball.” Thomas continued.

The two-time Finals MVP brings a level of excellence that Clippers currently don’t have on the court. Thomas underlined that teams will now be actually intimidated by the Clips because of Leonard’s ability to take superstar players completely out of the game.

“What he brings to the Clippers, he brings that fear factor. He brings that factor that everybody goes ‘Oh man, can’t mess with that dude,'” Thomas added.

“If they’re gonna be serious contenders, they’re gonna need 2-way Kawhi” ️@bwood_33 discussing Kawhi’s imminent Clippers return with @chrismilestv and Isiah Thomas. pic.twitter.com/cX7h8TdLCR

— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 14, 2024

The former Bad Boy Piston also emphasized Kawhi’s ability to heat up at any moment while locking down the opposition’s best player. But his NBA TV co-hosts were quick to slow down Thomas’ optimism.

Brendan Haywood expressed his doubts regarding Leonard’s ability to return to superstar form considering his enduring battle with a relentless injury bug.  “I’m not sure if this version of Kawhi can do that… In the peak of his power, he could go out there and score 30 and stop your best guy from getting 30. But now… with the knee… can he be asked to go out there and guard a Kevin Durant and then go out there and get 30 points?” Haywood said.

Chris Miles also questioned whether the Clippers even needed Kawhi to reemerge as an MVP-level talent. Considering Los Angeles’ surprisingly solid standing in the Western Conference, the team may not ask the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to overexert himself.

“They’re [the Clippers] 14-11 now. Ty Lue doing a great job, keeping them sixth out West. James Harden, I know he’s 35 years old, but he and Norman Powell averaging 44… So, do they need Kawhi to come back and not necessarily be that player, in order to compete for a championship?” Miles added.

James Harden has been revolutionary for L.A. this season, re-establishing his leadership abilities. The rest of the roster has also proven capable of shouldering a hefty load on both ends of the ball. So, if the Clippers have serious intentions to compete in the postseason, taking a cautionary approach with Leonard’s return will be in the team’s best interests.