LA Clippers' coach Ty Lue claims he knew Kawhi Leonard would deliver against Boston Celtics: "We know Kawhi, and we know he's a gamer"
LA Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has struggled with availability this season, only playing in nine of the Clippers’ 29 games so far. When Leonard has played, he has also been very limited as LA has been cautious with him following his return from a torn ACL.
However, Leonard looked like his old self on Monday night against Boston, putting up 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 10-for-12 (83.3%) shooting. Leonard’s impressive play also helped the Clippers blowout the league-best Celtics 113-93.
His big night didn't surprise Clippers coach Ty Lue, though, who spoke postgame about how he expects these types of dominant performances from Leonard.
"We know Kawhi, and we know he's a gamer... the No. 1 team in the league is coming into your building... he's up for that challenge," Lue said.
"We know Kawhi, and we know he's a gamer... the #1 team in the league is coming into your building... he's up for that challenge."
Coach Ty Lue knew Kawhi was going to have a big game tonight. https://t.co/YGS7YSgCwC
"The last couple games, he's just playing with more pace. The longer stretches have definitely helped him get into a more of a rhythm, offensively and defensively," Lue continued.
The game marked Leonard’s best game of the season as it was his first game with 20 or more points. Through nine games he is averaging just 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.6 steals on 45.0% shooting. He is also shooting just 21.9% from the 3-point line.
The Clippers are also just 16-13 and seventh in the Western Conference. But it’s games like Monday night's that keep Clippers fans believing that LA can still be title contenders at full strength.
Kawhi Leonard on his dominant performance against Boston
In typical Kawhi Leonard fashion, he did not have much to say following the Clippers’ blowout win over Boston. Leonard also wasn’t very enthused by the big regular-season win, given his success in the playoffs as a two-time NBA champion.
"I don't want to be here tonight. I'm focusing on the end of the year,” Leonard said. "Playoff basketball. Doesn't matter about tonight."
Leonard may have downplayed the win, but it was still the Clippers’ biggest win of the season.
Leonard’s co-star Paul George was asked about Leonard’s performance as well. Like Ty Lue, George wasn’t too surprised by Leonard’s big night.
"It's the same Kawhi," George said.
"He's just playing more, he's getting more reps. ... More than anything, he's just more aware of his minutes and being on a minute restriction that with the minutes that he does have, he's going to make them count."
Leonard definitely made his minutes count on Monday as he almost scored a point per minute (25 points in 29 minutes). The key now for Leonard will be to remain healthy so he can perform at a high level consistently for the Clippers. If he can do so, LA should be able to move up the West standings fairly quickly.
Also read: Kawhi Leonard's status stopping LA Clippers from peaking, says Stephen A. Smith: "I'm just a person that has NO faith in the health of Kawhi Leonard"