Kawhi Leonard has lost his number one running mate on the LA Clippers. Paul George will be missing an unspecified amount of time with a bone edema, meaning the Klaw has the full keys to the offense.
The Clippers have to figure out a way to survive with PG missing time, and that’s going to take several players stepping up and performing better in his absence. Our fearless leader needs to be at the front of the charge, though, and showing the team that we can definitely still win without Paul George.
Kawhi Leonard HAS to play like an MVP for the LA Clippers to succeed.
It’s as simple as that. We have no idea how long PG will be out for, but if the LA Clippers are still one of the top teams in the west when he comes back, it will be because Kawhi Leonard reminded everybody that he belongs in the conversation for best player in the league.
It’s a very small sample size, but Kawhi so far has played 3 games without Paul George and, per StatMuse, averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1 steal per game with just 1.7 turnovers. That’s not too far off of his averages for this season and, as crazy as it is to say, I think the Klaw can play even better.
In the three games without PG, Kawhi Leonard only shot 10% from three; had he hit at his average this season, that points average would’ve been closer to the 30 mark. And that’s what we need to survive this time without George.
Look, I know what I’m saying here. “Kawhi, I’m needing you to average something like 30/10/7 with great defense and solid shooting numbers. No big deal, right champ?” Not many players warrant that kind of expectation, but Kawhi Leonard does.
Looking back at the start of the 2019-20 season, when Paul George wasn’t quite ready to come back, these were Kawhi’s averages for the LA Clippers:
Kawhi Leonard – 2019-20 First 11 Games of the Season: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block per game.
Those are wild numbers, and that was in a Doc Rivers system that didn’t put the LA Clippers in the best position to succeed. Under Ty Lue, I think those numbers will be eclipsed. A look back at his playoffs performances also give us an idea of what he can do, and he needs to treat these games without Paul George as seriously as he does the postseason – every win is crucial to maintaining our seeding.
Kawhi Leonard – 2019-20 Playoffs: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block per game.
Kawhi Leonard – 2018-19 Playoffs: 30.5 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks per game
It’s no surprise, but when the pressure is at its highest, Kawhi Leonard performs. And in a shortened season while missing PG, the pressure is incredibly high for the LA Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard started the season at 5th favorite to win the MVP in most books, and has since dropped to 10th in the odds rankings. I’m looking for him to make a run back to the top 5 with a dominant performance while the LA Clippers are missing his superstar partner.