The star forward has missed substantial time over the past few years, and has played in just two of the Clippers’ nine games this season due to a lingering knee issue.
Over the past few years, NBA fans have become accustomed to seeing Kawhi Leonard miss time due to injury, an unfortunate trend Paul Pierce believes has been largely brushed aside by the masses.
The 2022–23 campaign has brought more of the same for Leonard as the Clippers star has missed seven of the team’s nine games due to a lingering issue in his surgically repaired right knee. Leonard’s health has largely prevented the 31-year-old from adding to his already impressive résumé but, in Pierce’s eyes, his lack of availability and the conversations surrounding the topic speak to a larger issue.
The Basketball Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on Leonard while speaking to former Celtics teammate and fellow HOF’er Kevin Garnett on the latest edition of their Showtime Basketball podcast, “KG Certified: Ticket & The Truth.” Pierce offered a take questioning why Leonard’s legacy can be mentioned alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant while avoiding the same criticism as oft-injured forward Anthony Davis after Garnett questioned why there has seemed to be a lack of information on Leonard’s injuries despite how often he ends up being sidelined during the season.
“We don’t hold Kawhi accountable enough,” Pierce said before noting that Leonard has missed substantial time over the last five years. “Because him being at the status that he is, we mention him in the same breath of Bron, KD when he’s at his best but then how we talk about Anthony Davis not being available, we don’t put Kawhi in that group.”
To Pierce’s point, Leonard has played in just 180 games since the 2017–18 season, his last with the Spurs, and missed all of last season after undergoing surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered in the second round of the playoffs in June 2021. Meanwhile, Davis, who’s been the focus of many jokes and memes due to his own injury history in recent years, the NBA champion and eight-time All-Star has played in 276 games in that same span.
After KG asked Pierce if he believes Kawhi and AD are parallels, “The Truth” admitted that he’s worried about Leonard’s future and his opportunity to lead the Clippers alongside Paul George to where they’re trying to go.
“I truly believe that something’s truly not right long-term with Kawhi,” he said. “How much of Kawhi have we seen? We love watching Kawhi, at his peak he’s one of the best in the league. So we’re like, we want to catch him on the court with this Clipper team.”
Although some may agree with Pierce’s views, it’s hard to argue that Leonard, even his health concerns, hasn’t solidified his spot among some of the best players at his position. Despite never being named NBA MVP, Leonard is a two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, five-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year among a number of other accolades.
Needless to say, if his fortunes turn around, Leonard still, conceivably, has enough time to show Pierce and the rest of the sports world that “The Claw” still has a lot more to accomplish in his remaining time in the league.
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