“Kawhi is an odd duck man” Nick Wright criticizes Kawhi Leonard’s irregular health issues
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Kawhi Leonard, Nick Wright
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the favorite’s to win the NBA title this year, but in order to prevail, they will need Kawhi Leonard to return to the floor healthy. Analyst Nick Wright is one guy who isn’t quite convinced about Leonard and the Clippers.
When healthy, Kawhi Leonard ranks among the best athletes on the planet as h e was generally regarded as the league’s top two-way player prior to his injury. Throughout LA’s journey to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the 31-year-old had a knee injury. The possibility of a comeback in 2021–22 wasn’t completely out of the question but Kawhi played for the Clippers off the bench in their most recent game against the Lakers, which helped them win without his lack of talent.
Sports commentator Nick Wright spoke on his thoughts about Kawhi and the Clippers when appearing on the “Dan Patrick Show”. He stated: “Kawhi Leonard is an odd duck man. Tore his ACL two seasons ago and then when it happened, it was like a knee strain, they didn’t even tell us, and now he’s on a serious minutes restriction this late at this point.”
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Kawhi Leonard and his injury plagued years in the NBA
Kawhi Leonard is an elite shot-maker and is ranked among the top perimeter defenders. During his last healthy season, Kawhi Leonard averaged 24.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 5.2 APG. His five All-Star and All-NBA selections, two championships, two Finals MVP titles, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards make him one of the top stars in the NBA and was one of just 11 active players selected for the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
On a drive to the rim during the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals, Leonard hurt his right knee and missed the remainder of the game as well as the whole Western Conference Finals game between Los Angeles and Phoenix. The Clippers revealed shortly after their elimination from the conference finals that Leonard had undergone surgery to repair a partial rupture in his right ACL. Leonard’s return in the 2021–22 season was initially anticipated, but he ended up sitting out all 82 regular-season matchups.
Nick Wright points out Leonard’s injury concern
Nick Wright also elaborated on the fact that Leonard has only appeared in limited number of games since leaving the Spurs on the “Dan Patrick Show.” He stated: “Since then Kawhi Leonard has played 179 games, that is 306th in the NBA. So the idea that you’re just going to assign Health to the clippers. Kawhi is the single biggest health risk in the league And so, yes, if healthy, I love their coach, I love their depth, but I think that if healthy thing is a big if.”
With 14 points and 7 rebounds on the night, Leonard was very productive off the bench as the Clippers handily defeated the Lakers. It will be intriguing to watch how the Clippers manage his ramp-up in the future, but it appears like they may keep using him as a bench player for the foreseeable future.
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Irvin Philip
(701 Articles Published)