Paul Pierce compares Kawhi Leonard's constant unavailability to Anthony Davis' situation: "We don't put Kawhi in that group… We don't say nothing about him always being in street clothes"
Kawhi Leonard is notorious for missing games and even an entire season due to injuries and load management. Paul Pierce pointed out on the "KG Certified" podcast that people don't hold Leonard accountable enough for his absence. Pierce mentioned that Anthony Davis is just as injury prone compared to 'The Klaw' but is getting more criticism from the league for some weird reason.
This could be due to the fact that Kawhi Leonard has many great accomplishments on his résumé compared to Anthony Davis. The NBA and its fans are prone to look past a player's shortcomings when they've already achieved a lot in the league. Paul Pierce noted that Leonard is always compared to LeBron James and Kevin Durant whenever he's at his best.
Pierce stated facts about Kawhi Leonard's future being concerning at this stage in his career. He's already missed several seasons, and while he was available to play, the coaching staff would always put him under load management.
Now in the 2022-23 NBA season, Leonard has only played two games so far. 'The Klaw' is currently undergoing injury management due to knee soreness and stiffness.
"We don't hold Kawhi accountable enough," Pierce said. "We've mentioned him in the same breath of LeBron and 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. We don't say nothing about him always being in street clothes."
Paul Pierce also pointed out:
"He's missed two seasons, always out, ain't really putting a lot of games together but we never talk about that. I don't if it's the way he's injured or the way Anthony Davis is injured."
Injury Update: When is Kawhi Leonard coming back?
Based on the most recent update from Clips Nation, it's still uncertain when Kawhi Leonard will return to the court. According to Sports Illustrated, Leonard will still be sidelined in their upcoming game against the Utah Jazz. 'The Klaw' was reportedly feeling some soreness and stiffness in his knee which forced the LA Clippers management to place him under injury management.
Injury management is meant to help a player avoid getting injured and return immediately to the court healthy. However, given the duration of Kawhi Leonard's absence, it seems like there's more to it than just managing his injuries. Leonard has already missed more games than what the Clippers had initially planned for him.
It may still be early in the 2022-23 NBA season, but Leonard needs to make a comeback soon if the Clippers want a better result this year. With their most recent victory against the San Antonio Spurs, the Clippers currently have a 5-4 standings. Thankfully, Paul George has been delivering for his team, helping them gain a three-game win streak.
Looking at PG's last three games, he's averaged 32.6 points, six assists, five rebounds, and 2.6 steals. George has been superb against the Rockets and Spurs. His most recent performances have been a good sign of PG returning to his All-Star form. If he continues to put up the same figures in games to come during Kawhi Leonard's absence, then the Clippers are in good hands.