Coming off the bench suits Kawhi Leonard just fine

He had to wait until the middle of the second quarter to enter the game. But once on the field, Kawhi Leonard didn’t take long. From his first possession, in defense, he grabbed a rebound, picked up speed by going up the ball then attacked Juan Toscano-Anderson with his left hand: his first “fadeaway” three, four meters from the circle goes in.

Next possession, “The Klaw” attacks the same defender, this time at the post and starting on his right, to find himself in the heart of the racket and send the same type of “fadeaway”. Same result. Absent from the courts since June 2021, the double NBA champion took care of his debut against the Lakers last night.

In 21 minutes, he scored 14 points (6/12 on shots) and grabbed 7 rebounds coming off the bench, as imagined before the meeting. ” If necessary, we want to have it at the end of the match. He wanted to do what was best for the team. After 15 months of absence, I wondered what was best for him in terms of health », reported Tyronn Lue before the game to justify his decision.

A rather winning bet for the coach since his star player, who had not come off the bench since November 2013, at the time of the Spurs, scored an important shot less than a minute from the end.

The same routine

After the game, the former Raptors player said he felt good physically. Being a luxury 6th man doesn’t change much about his approach to dating. ” I do pretty much the same routine, with my mental focus, and I figure it’s going to help me in the long run. I prepare the match mentally and physically, I try to warm up behind before entering the game and I see what happens », describes the winger.

The latter was replaced by Norman Powell in the five, author of a small exit to 9 points with 2/8 on shots. “ As a leader, I know that we have players capable of fulfilling this role in my place in the five. It’s just for me to try to get regular minutes. I played 21 minutes tonight, it would have been a bit difficult to play consistently if I had played in the first quarter. It’s about recovery, making sure I stay healthy long term “, he continues.

The wealth of the current workforce, without physical glitch, allows the Clippers to take maximum precautions with him. And to accept the idea that the Leonard machine may take time to return to full throttle.

” You can’t expect it to be excellent every night. He too must understand this. It’s going to be a process. There will be times when he looks like Kawhi Leonard, and times when he tries to make up his mind and doesn’t play well. He needs to understand that, as great as he is, it’s not going to happen overnight. We must therefore be patient with him and he must also be patient with himself. “, Formulated his coach.