Ideally, in every player's case around the NBA, there is nothing a front office, coaching staff, or the best trainers in the world can do to improve the availability of an athlete. They can do proper physical therapy and better care of their bodies through dietary restrictions, but at the end of the day, all that can be said is a prayer to the basketball gods.
Furthermore, last summer, the LA Clippers thought they tried every method in the book to accommodate the health of franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard. They assumed load management would work and encouraged it, and even wrapped his knees with the most severe robotic engineering every time he received a breather from the action.
Yet, no matter what approach the Clippers took, Leonard would have some knee pain or soreness. This was highly depressing for fans, as the world did not need to see LA win a ring to believe their potential with a functioning Leonard.
Conversely, the team refused to part ways with Leonard, as most would and continued their search for a plan that could be executed correctly.
That leads to the timeline until the Christmas season when head coach Tyronn Lue announced the six-time All-Star's debut was imminent. He sat for months and was ready to lace up through the postseason.
Moreover, despite the doubt and opinions from the analysts, the Clippers discovered a successful product through their experiment as Leonard played every game of the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
The way to keep Kawhi Leonard is unorthodox but works, as he did not crumble this season for the LA Clippers
Though it was only for one round, Kawhi Leonard completed his first playoff run since 2020, which took half of a decade. This has not just been a journey for Clipper Nation, but it has been entertaining watching the superstar progress with age.
Leonard's body was moving so well that he played the Dallas Mavericks back-to-back and dominated for 47 minutes in game 82 versus the Golden State Warriors.
In the postseason, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year played 264.7 minutes against the Denver Nuggets, ranking eighth among all players in the first round.
The Clippers lost while healthy, instilling pain upon realization, but incoming is an optimistic summer for Leonard. He must be ecstatic knowing LA finally has a viable blueprint to keep him healthy next season.