There have been multiple emotional nights when Tyronn Lue talked with Kawhi Leonard over his injury status, and Leonard almost cried on some occasions.
After missing out on Team USA's experience in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Kawhi Leonard is yet to play a game in the 2024-25 NBA season as well. The Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue defended him against the critics.
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Utah JazzLue was the guest at the Stephen A. Smith Show, where he expanded on Leonard's work ethic and his view on the injury situation.
"I just want to let people know from Kawhi's standpoint. For him, it's more frustrating. He wants to be on the floor, he wants to play every single night," Lue said. "It's just bad timing. It's not that he says, 'We get to the playoffs, I don't want to play [now].'
"It's been some tough days, some tough nights. I've talked to Kawhi at night when he's almost crying just talking about how he's let the team down. But you can't do anything about injuries. He's another guy who works extremely hard every single day to be on the floor, to be on the court. It's just unfortunate luck."
The former 2-time Defensive Player of the Year played 68 games in the previous season, the most he's played since 2017 when he picked up the now-infamous quad injury while he was with the San Antonio Spurs.
"I heard you say one night he has 35, and the next night he doesn't play. But it's not by design. This guy works hard every single day in the weight room, on the court, on his game, everything, every single day. It's sad for me," Lue said.
"I see the work that he puts in, our players see the work he puts in, our organization sees it. Then, when it's time to play, he can't go. A lot of times, it's myself or someone in the organization, like, 'Hey, listen Kawhi, you're like 40%, you can't go out on the floor because you're going to make it even worse.'
"That's what I want to say first of all. Kawhi is a hell of worker, a hard worker, and, like you said, a top five player when he's healthy. He's been unfortunate with the injuries, but it's not from the lack of work and it's not from the lack of wanting to be on the floor."
Full Stephen A. Smith's interview with Tyronn Lue:
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