June 14, 2021. This is the last time we saw Kawhi Leonard in the playoffs. It was during an epic series against the Jazz, and the Clippers winger had seriously injured his knee in a collision with Joe Ingles. After a white season, he returned to the playoffs last night in a clash against the Suns, and we found Kawhi Leonard as we knew him: a monster of efficiency, not far from being the best player in the world when he play like this! “He had an incredible game. He destroyed us” summarizes Kevin Durant after the Clippers victory.
Facing the Suns, undefeated with Kevin Durant precisely, the Clippers winger was great with his 38 points to 13 of 24 on shots, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Still, the Suns have multiplied defenses and defenders on him, but he has this ability to adapt and grow. “It’s about understanding how they defend and staying aggressive all game long” explains Leonard about his point curve. “It’s about creating play, reading their takes together… But it’s only one match, and when you’re playing for the title, there’s still a long way to go. »
Hard to save
Still not very talkative in the press conference, Leonard prefers to let his game speak, and rather than talking about his two big 3-pointers in the 4th quarter, he insists on what makes the difference in the playoffs by evoking the performance. by Russell Westbrook, very clumsy but “clutch”. “You have to take decisive action, deflect balls, take offensive rebounds, stay in the systems… That’s playoff basketball! You can be clumsy one night, but you have to make an impact in other areas, and that’s what he did tonight. »
The only downside to this evening is the playing time. Leonard played 42 minutes while Tyronn Lue does everything to limit his time on the field. “I felt he was a little tired at the start of the 4th quarter, and I took him out with 10 minutes left. We made him breathe for three minutes so that he would then come back” Lu explains. “We know he will play a lot, especially since PG is not there. But he was very good tonight. »
| Kawhi Leonard | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2011-12 | SAN | 64 | 24 | 49.3 | 37.6 | 77.3 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 7.9 |
| 2012-13 | SAN | 58 | 31 | 49.4 | 37.4 | 82.5 | 1.1 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 11.9 |
| 2013-14 | SAN | 66 | 29 | 52.2 | 37.9 | 80.2 | 1.2 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 12.8 |
| 2014-15 | SAN | 64 | 32 | 47.9 | 34.9 | 80.2 | 1.3 | 5.9 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 16.5 |
| 2015-16 | SAN | 72 | 33 | 50.6 | 44.3 | 87.4 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 21.2 |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 74 | 33 | 48.5 | 38.0 | 88.0 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 25.5 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 9 | 23 | 46.8 | 31.4 | 81.6 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 16.2 |
| 2018-19 | TOR | 60 | 34 | 49.6 | 37.1 | 85.4 | 1.3 | 6.0 | 7.3 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 26.6 |
| 2019-20 | LAKE | 57 | 32 | 47.0 | 37.8 | 88.6 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 27.1 |
| 2020-21 | LAKE | 52 | 34 | 51.2 | 39.8 | 88.5 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 24.9 |
| 2022-23 | LAKE | 52 | 34 | 51.2 | 41.6 | 87.1 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 23.8 |
| Total | 628 | 32 | 49.5 | 38.7 | 85.9 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 19.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
