Hoops Habit
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Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are not done overcoming obstacles yet

By Albert Dadson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 is congratulated by Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of a game against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center on November 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 is congratulated by Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of a game against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center on November 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
LA Clippers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Great Clippers Hope: Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard put the Toronto Raptors on his back for a season and led them to a championship. It was a season for the ages. Leonard solidified himself as a top-three if not top-five player in the league.

He has come a long way from being a defensive player of the year to become the best two way player in the league. Just like last season, the topic of load management came up. Leonard has sat out games to keep him rested for playoff runs. Last season it worked to perfection.

Via Zoom conference this week, Doc Rivers said:

"“Kawhi is healthy for the most part,” Rivers said. “That still doesn’t mean that we don’t want to maintain him and get him through the first eight games and get ready for the playoffs. We want to be smart about this. Not just for Kawhi, it’s with everybody.”"

The LA Clippers hope that they will be able to reap the rewards of resting Leonard during the season. The rest along with the stoppage should bode well for the star.

Leonard finds himself in the same situation that he was in last year. His team is second in the conference and he has to get through a juggernaut-type player that is in the number one seed.

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He was able to conquer Giannis Antetokounmpo last season and now he will have to get through LeBron James this season. Leonard has had the upper hand against James before. Any advantage that teams with a shot to win will have has to be taken.

Leonard has been able to avoid trouble during his career. He had a personal matter to deal with before he joined the team but now he is practicing and everything is fine.

Leonard talked about the racial issues that America is dealing with.

“What’s happened, what everybody has been seeing on the news, it’s been like [that] for me,” Leonard said. “I’ve been seeing those situations, so it’s nothing new to me, and I’m still going to continue to help and educate people as well as my teammates. It doesn’t matter if we have a statement on the back of our jersey, it’s about doing the work.”

The players of the Clippers took about five different zoom meetings to even decide to play in the Orlando games. Avoiding COVID will be crucial for the top players of the team. A player like Leonard getting the virus will set the team back for a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks of bad play could finish the team.

Leonard has been able to stay stress-free this whole season and has had plenty of rest during the course of the season. A back-to-back championship is in plain view and he will have a tough challenge ahead of him. He will have to make sure he does the things he has done leading up to this.

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