Author: Monojit Mandal
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, known for his battle with chronic injuries, is contesting the NBA’s load management policy, claiming that it will not decide his game schedule.
Leonard has been plagued by illness since joining the Clippers for the 2019-20 season, never playing more than 57 games. His 2021-22 season was completely destroyed by an ACL rupture, making him the league’s poster boy for the load management movement.
During a press conference on media day, Leonard, who has spent much of the last few years rehabilitating from injuries, expressed his dissatisfaction with the league’s recent load management policy. He felt that politics was unfairly targeting him and his team.
“I don’t sit out games because of workload management,” Leonard said on Monday. “It was a different story when I was at the Raptors; I was recovering from an injury, and decisions were made based on medical guidelines. But now, if I’m physically well, I’ll be on the court. In the off-season, I work hard to improve my game. No league policy has any influence on my decision to play extra matches.“
The newly implemented guideline, which came into force last month, prohibits clubs from having several key players missing from the same game. This often happened with Leonard and Paul George, who joined the Clippers in the same season as Leonard.
The new structure defines stars as those who were All-Stars or members of the All-NBA team in any of the previous three seasons. In addition, clubs are not allowed to rest their best players in nationally televised matches or tournaments during the season, among other restrictions.
Leonard’s reaction to the policy came after a reporter informed him about it. This shows your lack of knowledge about the details. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, however, supported Leonard’s position, emphasizing that the team’s goal is to have healthy players on the court.
“If our players are healthy, they’ll play,” said Lue. “It’s a myth that our players don’t want to play. They’re excited to compete. Unfortunately, injuries slowed them down. So if they’re healthy, they’ll be on the pitch, and that’s our priority.“
Injuries have plagued the Clippers since the arrival of George and Leonard, preventing the club from realizing its full potential.