After withdrawing from the Olympics, Kawhi Leonard underwent his third knee surgery in four years. Shams Charania reported that he is still questionable for the start of the regular season and wouldn’t be participating in the drills during training camp. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are wary of the Klaw’s injury history, pushing for some extreme measures from the two-time DPOY.
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During their ‘All the Smoke’ talk show, the 2008 NBA champions discussed the news coming out of Los Angeles. “Kawhi, long-term, should really start contemplating retirement,” Paul Pierce announced during the conversation.
However, the Truth was not embittered by Leonard’s lack of availability. Pierce was speaking as a former NBA superstar, cautioning the 33-year-old of the physical toll he was putting on his body.
“Think about how many years we’ve been talking about, or seeing him go through, clean outs or surgeries or sitting out…It’s like it’s going to get to the point man, you will not be able to save your legs for after you retire,” the Celtics legend explained.
Several retired stars, including Shaquille O’Neal, have talked about the ailments caused by the rigors of an extended career in the NBA. Pierce doesn’t want to see the Klaw face a similar trajectory in his life.
Since 2017, Kawhi Leonard’s career has faced roadblock after roadblock in the form of injuries to his lower body. At this point, Pierce believes, “You should really think about the future. Cause this is too much to keep putting your body through bro…Like when’s the last time we’ve even seen a healthy Kawhi Leonard?”
The bar for what a healthy Kawhi Leonard looks like is rather subjective, to be fair. The two-way wing has never played the full 82 games in his career, but last season was his healthiest in 7 years as Leonard suited up for 68 regular season games before succumbing to a meniscus tear in April.
Kawhi could have played in the Olympics, says Clippers President
Lawrence Frank is the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Clippers. Three months after Leonard was dropped from the Team USA roster, Frank touched on the behind-the-scenes action.
“Obviously, he was cleared medically. I watched him prepare for it, I was there at the first two practices. I was really disappointed that they didn’t give him a longer runway,” the 54-year-old expressed.
Kawhi Leonard was set to make his Olympics debut in Paris, but after he showed up to camp with a limp and a sleeve on his leg, Team USA decided to go in another direction. Grant Hill, who was working as Team USA’s executive director, commented, “We just felt it was in our best interest, but also in the Clippers’ and Kawhi’s best interest, to move into a different direction.”
Even though Frank attests that Leonard could have been healthy in time for the Olympics, Team USA decided to replace his roster spot with Derrick White. In hindsight, it seems like the right decision as White played a pivotal role off the bench while Leonard’s availability still remains in question.
