Ty Lue’s $60 Million Opinion On Kawhi Leonard’s Absence Amid Clippers’ Struggles Goes Viral

LA Clippers coach Ty Lue spoke about lack of depth in the roster as Kawhi Leonard continues to struggles with injuries.

Ty Lue’s $60 Million Opinion On Kawhi Leonard’s Absence Amid Clippers’ Struggles Goes Viral

Ty Lye (Left) and Kawhi Leonard (Right) (image credits - Firstsportz)

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It has been a really poor start to the 2025-26 campaign for Ty Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers despite boasting star power within their ranks in the form of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Following their disappointing 135-118 loss to their city rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers find themselves languishing at 13th in the Western Conference standings with a poor 5-13 record.

Leonard’s move to the Clippers was supposed to be a mark of a new era for a franchise that have always been in the shadows of the Lakers. After winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and rejecting a move to LeBron James‘ LA Lakers, Leonard decided to join the Clippers alongside Paul George. But nothing has gone right for the club as injuries continue to hamper Leonard and his availability every season.

This season has been no different. The term ‘Load management’ and Leonard have always gone hand-in-hand for the majority of his career. The forward has already missed 10 games out of 18 this season. While his performances on the court have been encouraging as he currently averages 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists but his health has always pushed the team back.

Prior to the game against the Lakers, Ty Lue spoke about how the Clippers are operating on the ‘Next Man Up’ policy and managing it with Bradley Beal’s season-ending injury and Leonard’s attendance issues.

When you lose your best player, a top 10 player when he’s on the floor, it’s hard to really make up for that. I know a lot of people say ‘Next Man Up.’ But if he’s making $60 million and your next man is making $400,000, it’s not really the same.

LA Clippers season hanging on a thread after poor performances

Currently sitting in the bottom-half of the Western conference table and six games behind a direct playoff spot, the Clippers need to find their winning ways before it is too late.

Leonard returned against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing nine consecutive games. But his return to court has not gone as planned as the Clippers have lost both their games since.

The Clippers are also without their primary defender, Derrick Jones Jr. With Leonard back in the squad, Lue and his staff have a lot of work on their hands as they try to get the team back on track and make a push for the playoffs in a stacked Western conference. If things do not change very soon, then the Clippers may be forced to shut down their season.

Ty Lue and the Clippers need more than just Kawhi Leonard

Clippers need to get to terms that they cannot count on Leonard for an entire season. His health cannot hold up against the wear and tear of a 82-game regular season followed by the playoffs. A lot of the load has fallen on James Harden in the absence of Leonard.

Clippers
Kawhi Leonard (Left) guarding LeBron James (Right) (image credits – ESPN)

While Harden is averaging 27.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists this season, his impact on winning is not the same as it once was. At 36-years-old, Harden may be having a resurgence in terms of scoring but he needs help around him. Given Leonard’s inconsistent availability, fans and analysts have been calling for the Clippers to surround Harden with more shooters.

Whether the team will provide head coach Ty Lue with additional roster depth rather than continuing to rely heavily on Leonard remains to be seen.

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