Kawhi Leonard has been quiet ever since the restart but after a 39 point explosion, it looks like he’s ready to take over the bubble for the LA Clippers.
Everything in life is not a race. That pertains to the NBA also. It is not always the team or player that starts the hottest but it is the one that finishes. For LA Clippers fans Kawhi Leonard’s slow start was not a cause for concern because the playoffs were where they would need him.
With a couple of games left before the playoffs start, Leonard has shown the talent that led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship last year.
Before the restart, Leonard’s long-time trainer Clint Parks explained how Leonard’s work ethic has led him to excel.
"“I could honestly say since when I first met him when he was 14 years old, he always loved to work hard. Nothing has changed, over all these years and the success he’s had, he still works like he’s trying to make the team every year. He’s never going to get content, he came back from an injury and still won the NBA championship last year. When the season starts next year or whenever it comes back, I can promise you he’s going to come back the same way.”"
The All-Star MVP from this year and Finals MVP from last year had a 39 point game after not hitting more than 30 in his previous four games of the restart. Leonard could not be held down for very long.
In the loss against the Brooklyn Nets Leonard shot 56.0 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from three and shot 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. He added two rebounds, six assists and four steals to his ludicrous stat line.
Kawhi Leonard is the best player on the Clippers. The team has taken the steps necessary for him to have a repeat of the season he had last year. After the game against the Nets, it looks like he is ready to do it again.