Kawhi Leonard of Clippers has returned to an all-nba level and wants to stay there

With just over two minutes left to play in the first half on Friday at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn’s goals attempted to offense in front of the La Clippers bench. The center of the Nic Claxton networks dribbled at the top of the key while the Punta d’Angelo Russell guard attempted to project for the attacker Ziaire Williams.

Clippers defender Kris Dunn turned off Russell and on Williams, interrupting the transfer. The player who passed with Dunn was Kawhi Leonard, twice defensive of the NBA year who was dominating the nets in this second quarter.

Claxton tried to pass a rushed to Russell instead of trying to deliver to Williams, and Leonard hit and returned a theft for a slap on the run:

To close that first half, Leonard received a ride from the top guard All-Star Clippers James Harden, who was doubly spoken near the bench of the networks. Leonard saw Russell slowly retire from Dunn. Unbearated by the presence of Russell, Leonard rose from 34 feet to splash a 3-pointer to end the competitive part of the visit of the Clippers to Brooklyn:

The performance of 31 points Leonard in Brooklyn requested only 14 goals attempts and 26 minutes, 55 second courses. It was the third game from 30 points by Leonard in March after having had anyone from the moment he made his debut with the Clippers this season on January 4th until the end of February.

In the game before the Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks had an advantage of 14 points. But once Leonard entered ISO mode in front of the Knicks Tom Thom Thom Coach, it was just a matter of time before that advantage was Brindisi, and Thibodeau knew it:

When it comes to 20 points games, Leonard had three in January and three in February. In March, Leonard scored at least 20 points in 12 of the 13 games he played. The exception was a 17 -point performance against the Kings sacrament which ended with his first extraordinarily winning career of the game.

None of this is a surprise for Leonard. The 12 games at 20 points in March bind his best career in any month. Leonard marked on average 25.2 points per game in March, his most from January 2023, producing 52.1 percent of his goals on the field.

“I’m only healthy, I think I am trusted,” said Clippers Tyronn Lue’s coach on the observation of Leonard’s progression throughout this season. “Understand that he can play and do everything out without feeling pain or swelling. It took a minute to return to the flow of the game. It was out for seven, eight months.”

Leonard has attributed his increase in production to a Bump of minutes that saw him go from 24.2 minutes per game in January to 31.4 minutes per game in February at 36.3 minutes per game in March. But his return from swelling and inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee was an in several phases.

Leonard had to return to the practice after losing the training field and the start of the season to strengthen the knee. He did it in December. He had to make his debut on the field and built in January. Leonard had to demonstrate that he could increase his minutes without undergoing arrest. In addition to a foot injury suffered in Milwaukee who cost him two games in February, Leonard has constantly played.

March was his strong announcement that he was ready to take the next step in his return, which was to approximate his NBA status since last season, when he earned honors of the second team. In March 2024, Leonard also scored 20 points a dozen times, but his knee has struggled before he could play regular season games in April. His post -station was limited to two games. And his summer was ruined by his knee problems, while Leonard lost his place in the American Olympic team who won gold in Paris.

Leonard has lost the preblical and the first 34 games of the 2024-25 season. Now he is ready to do what he could not do last season or one of the previous four.

“I want to get to the healthy summer,” said Leonard Atletico After the Clippers won in Brooklyn. “So I can spend a great summer and enter and have a happy new year in general. This is the one I am banking about, that’s what I am praying for. And I hope it happens for me.”

This is a feeling that Leonard has previously expressed. When Leonard repeats an expression, he understands it and wants others to know that he understands it. After Leonard did his own Southpaw Buzzer-Beater against the kingsHe was asked if he was more satisfying given the fact that he has lost so much time and opportunities in the last year.

“No, I’m not thinking about it,” said Leonard. “Just a game. My goal is to be healthy at the end of the season, so I can have a good summer and don’t worry about making an entire rehabilitation process again, missing the training field.”

Leonard’s recovery is coinciding with the Clippers who play some of their best basketballs of the season. He won 11 games out of 16 in March, his best month of the season and his best March since he went 13-2 in 2018-19. The Clippers obtained the offense of the 20th classified in the NBA until February of this season, but fifths in offensive efficiency in March were classified. Most of this was to have a player like Leonard who added volume to his superb efficiency.

“For him to return and do what he is doing now, we knew he would arrive at this level,” said Lue Di Leonard. “And when he did it, we are a different team. You can see it right now.”

The Clippers return home after having already achieved an organizational goal.

In September, when the president of the Basket Lawrence Frank operations was declaring Leonard on a “month by month” base just before the training field, he mentioned how the clippers have the longest active series of the NBA of the consecutive winning seasons. Frank also mentioned the 2021-22 season which saw the Clippers go 42-40 despite Leonard was out all year round due to ACL and Paul George surgery has lost more than half of the season.

Even with Leonard who had to look at the first two and a half months of this season, the Clippers were able to reach their fourteenth consecutive season with a winning record before the end of March. Leonard has contributed to this, but it is also wary of the fact that the clippers have had solid regular seasons that led to disappointing post -estate results because of its inability to complete a post -station under lue.

“You can say that this organization wants to be competitive,” Leonard said to Brooklyn. “Unfortunately, things happened to me … but it is always a blessing to have a winning season. These guys played great all year round to put us in this position. I am quite sure that our front office is enjoyed.”

Now the clippers begin a house in five games while in the middle of a stretch of five games in seven days. Los Angeles will host an extremely short New Orleans team from Pelicani in Back-to-back against the Dallas Maverks. The clippers will have consecutive days, then their last back-to-back of the season against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. The last two games of the season are traveling, where the Clippers will try to complete the swept of the regular season of the kings and the Golden State Warriors.

The (43-32) is in the middle of the conversation of the play-in tournament in the western conference ranking. That record is good enough for eighth place in the West, but is linked to the loss column with the minnesota Timberwolves (44-32) and Memphis Grizzlies (44-32), despite being a game behind the Warriors of Quinto place (44-31).

It is a place where the clippers don’t want to be. They have experience to lose two games in the game tournament and lose their playoff point for a team that has had six more losses of them in the regular season. This happened in 2022, but that team did not have Leonard, who is now healthy.

“I prompted each game to play more minutes,” said Leonard. “You know, I had an unfortunate past. And I’m just trying to do everything you need to … get to this healthy offseason. This is my main goal right now.”

(Photo by Kawhi Leonard: Katsanis / Getty Images)