Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played an awful lot for the Clippers this season. Those within the Clippers organization will justify that by saying that it’s the management of his ACL injury. But, most fans believe it’s not any kind of management.
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No, they believe that the man is simply missing games because he isn’t interested in playing during the NBA’s regular season.
As a result of that, the man has played just 10 of the Clippers’ 32 games this season. And apparently, that’s what he blames for his abysmal efficiency from deep so far this season.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
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Kawhi Leonard blames the lack of games played for his three-pointers not falling consistently this season
Regular season games can be very important, no matter who the player may be.
For the players lower down in the NBA’s hierarchy, it can be a shit to prove they deserve a spot in the rotation come playoff time. But, even for the best players in the league, it can be a chance to get into a rhythm and stay in playing shape.
And clearly, Kawhi Leonard agrees with that line of thinking, considering what he said in a very recent interview.
Take a look at the clip in the tweet below.
Kawhi Leonard is shooting just 10-of-43 from three this season. So I asked him what he makes of his 3-point shot:
“Look how those games are split up & it’s hard to find a rhythm. You gotta determine what you’re shooting like after the season. It don’t matter if I’m shooting 5%.” pic.twitter.com/0eKrGVIjna
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) December 18, 2022
Now, while he did say that he wasn’t in rhythm, he also did say that he doesn’t care about the regular season.
So, the question stands- If he doesn’t care about playing in the regular season, will he be in the right shape come playoff time?
Will Kawhi Leonard be at his best, come playoff time?
What Kawhi Leonard is planning is pretty obvious.
He won’t play much at all right now but will do so heavily in the last few games before the regular season ends. However, in the meantime, he will beat on the smaller teams in the league to make sure he stays in shape.
The problem is, that often just doesn’t work.
To start off with, rhythm is not that easy to acquire. Sometimes, even when players play consistently, they just can’t seem to find it for long periods of time.
But, even if Leonard does find it, there will be little to no team chemistry between him and the rest of the team. Players won’t be able to instinctively react to Kawhi’s movements because they haven’t played with him long enough.
And frankly, the ability to do so stands tantamount to any team looking to win an NBA championship.
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