The LA Clippers are beginning to look the part of a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs. LA is 12-3 over its past 15 games, securing wins over postseason-caliber teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, and New York Knicks during that time.
One of the driving forces behind the Clippers' success has been a resurgent Kawhi Leonard—a player with a simple goal for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Leonard has appeared in 32 games for the Clippers in 2024-25, all of which have transpired since Jan. 4. He's missed just 10 outings since he made his season debut, pushing himself to get back to an All-NBA level while maintaining perspective on what his body has been through.
According to Law Murray of The Athletic, Leonard spoke candidly about how his injury history has created an understandable top priority.
"My goal is to be healthy at the end of the season, so I can have a good summer and not worry about doing a whole rehab process again, missing training camp.”
Leonard expounded on the thought, directly acknowledging his injury history and doubling down on his primary goal.
“I’ve been pushing to play every game, more minutes,” Leonard said. “You know, I’ve had an unfortunate past. And I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to … get to this offseason healthy. That’s my main focus right now.”
This in no way means that Leonard will hold back during the Play-In Tournament or the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but it's only human to be focused on staying healthy after everything he's endured.
Kawhi Leonard just wants to get to the offseason in good health
That might sound like a strange goal to set, but Leonard has been deprived of a healthy offseason for far too long. He suffered a partial tear of his right ACL in 2021, tore his right meniscus in 2023, and suffered yet another knee injury in 2024—each of which took place during or mere weeks before the playoffs.
In other words: Leonard has gone into three of the past four offseasons recovering from an injury, if not a major surgery, thus rendering it nearly impossible for him to work on his game during the summer.
If that trend ends in 2025, Leonard could realistically enter the 2025-26 regular season as the best version of himself that the Clippers have seen thus far. He'll turn 34 in June, but the importance of a healthy offseason balances the concerns over the war he's waging against Father Time.
Considering Leonard has managed to play at an All-NBA level over the past month, a healthy offseason is a fascinating possibility to ponder.
Leonard is averaging 25.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.3 three-point field goals made on .527/.410/.820 shooting since Mar. 1. That's the type of production he typically provides when healthy, and he's somehow managing it during an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign.
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, that would seem to imply that the two-time Finals MVP is gearing up for yet another run at a title.
Regardless of what happens during the postseason, one can't help but empathize with Leonard. He's endured a seemingly endless list of injuries and surgeries, and no matter how much money professional athletes make, the toll those experiences take on their bodies and minds is nothing to scoff at.
After everything Leonard's been through, it's simply human for him to want to get to the summer without suffering yet another injury.