Play more than 60 games
One thing that critics of Kawhi Leonard are quick to point out is the number of games he played in last season: 60.
Leonard made the term “load management” popular, meaning he would have scheduled rest to keep himself healthier as the team kept its focus on the postseason. Obviously, it worked out for him — he missed 22 regular season games, yes, but he played in all 24 postseason games and averaged roughly 31 points and nine rebounds in the process. He won his second NBA title and Finals MVP award too, and he previously said that without load managing, that wouldn’t have been possible for him.
Winning regular season games was important for the Raptors last season, and part of the reason they finished with the league’s second-best record is that they had created a team capable of handling nights without Leonard. The LA Clippers have that too, especially with the addition of Paul George.
That being said, the Eastern Conference was not as competitive last season as the Western Conference is shaping up to be in 2020. Playoff spots are going to be much harder to come by, and while it’s still expected that the Clippers earn at least a top-three seed, it’s going to be much harder to come by if Leonard only plays in 60 games again.
During Leonard and George’s introductory press conference, Leonard stated that his goal is to play the entirety of the upcoming season and that he’ll approach load management on a game-by-game basis.
Considering Leonard was so honest about his status as the 2019 postseason came to a close, we can assume that he probably isn’t sugar-coating anything here. He truly wants to play all 82 games, and he believes he can do it, too.
It’s going to take some tremendous work from the Clippers’ training staff to make sure that happens, though. Once the Finals rolled around, Leonard was clearly not feeling his best and was seen limping on a few occasions.
If a full 82-game slate ends up being out of reach, something like 65-70 games seems like a more realistic goal. That should allow Leonard to get the rest he needs as he continues to recover, and if the LA Clippers end up being locked into a playoff spot near season’s end, there would be virtually no reason to play him.