Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are set to lead a Los Angeles Clippers team with high aspirations for the 2025-26 NBA season. Leonard is one of the best players in the league when healthy, but injuries have impacted him over the years. Most fans do not like the idea of load management, but the Clippers will need to proceed with caution if they want Leonard to be at his best in the postseason.
The Clippers have been a consistent postseason contender in recent years. LA has been referred to as a potential championship team at times. However, the Clippers have yet to make a deep postseason run with Leonard leading the way. Of course, the Clippers will need Leonard to be healthy in order to make any serious noise in the playoffs moving forward.
Leonard only appeared in 37 games during the 2024-25 campaign. He was able to play in 68 games in 2023-24, but had not appeared in more than 55 games since 2019-20 before the 2023-24 season. At 34 years old, one has to wonder how many games Leonard will realistically be able to play during the upcoming year.
In a perfect world, Leonard would avoid injury and appear in most contests. The Clippers have to view the circumstance from a realistic point of view, though. If they want to help Kawhi avoid potential injury trouble, then limiting his minutes/games played will prove to be a necessity.
So, how many games should Leonard play? There is not one specific number that will make or break the season. Reaching 55 or more contests would be ideal. There is not any need for Leonard to play in more than 65 games, though. The Clippers feature enough talent to clinch a respectable postseason spot even if Leonard is unable to play in more than 65 games.
Los Angeles' primary focus will be on keeping Leonard healthy for the playoffs. The Clippers hope to make a deep run and play into June, so Leonard needs to be ready for a long season.
The 2025-26 NBA campaign could end up being a memorable season for this Clippers squad. They added reliable veterans during the offseason to build a quality roster around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. As long as injuries do not prove to be too much of an obstacle, the Clippers should be able to make things especially interesting in the Western Conference.