For 48 minutes, the Utah Jazz exposed the LA Clippers’ defense, and in 29 of them, Kawhi Leonard was one of the guys Lauri Markkanen went full force at. He had his head down, with no mentality other than to score, and countless of his made field-goal attempts were over the two-time champion.
Size-wise, Markkanen is advantageous, but Leonard is still strong enough to at least force some resistance. Yet on Wednesday night, there was nothing, as he was atrocious, giving up many baskets to the one-time All-Star and to Utah as a team.
This defensive performance from a two-time Defensive Player of the Year is the Clippers’ biggest worry in their disappointing 0-1 start, as the turnover issues and offensive rhythm can be fixed. Yet Leonard's may not be solvable, especially because no one knows what is going on, as a range of causes could be at play, such as age, effort, or something completely out of the box.
The LA Clippers must figure out fast why Kawhi Leonard struggled to defend
In all of his days as an LA Clipper, Kawhi Leonard has never been the type of player to celebrate or show a major reaction, but he has also never been afraid to set the tone on defense. Leonard has proven that he does not mind being the leader, as that is an unwritten term in his contract.
However, against the Jazz, Leonard stood clueless like everyone else and was not just average on defense; he was weaker than ever. Giving up seven field goals in one night is beyond disappointing and should be further examined by Tyronn Lue and his staff.
Moreover, once the answer is found about Leonard’s opening-night shortcomings, Lue can plan accordingly for tonight’s home battle versus the Phoenix Suns. If it was the fact that he was not prepared for the Jazz’s offense or did not feel any urgency, as the entire team struggled to guard, then the coaching staff can keep him as an option to cover Devin Booker.
On the contrary, if Leonard is declining in his speed and reaction timing, then Lue can find a way to still play him over 30 minutes while matching up against a player whose first or second instinct is not to score.
That said, Leonard had an overall forgettable showcase in Salt Lake City. He was out of it on both sides of the ball and did not give the Clippers a chance as the player who was supposed to be the best on the court.