By dominating training camp, as loudly said by Bradley Beal, franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard will inevitably be excellent to start the season. He could go on one of the rarest stretches for two-way players today by consistently posting 25 points or higher while defending at the level he did on the Toronto Raptors.
This type of dominance will certainly distract fans of the LA Clippers from the fact that he is still embroiled in a massive scandal stemming from cap circumvention. The league is still investigating, and it is clear they are focused on extracting every bit of information correctly before concluding Leonard’s future.
Thus, a punishment will likely not be decided before the season begins in a couple of weeks.
That said, not knowing what the consequences could be is the toughest corner to be in, especially if Leonard is thriving and leading the Clippers as the first or second seed in the Western Conference.
The noise around the Clippers will get louder if Kawhi Leonard exceeds performance-based expectations
The only goal within the locker room right now is to win a championship, and even though Kawhi Leonard could possibly face trouble off the court, everyone is relying on him to silence his ears and remain locked in to the prize at the end of a long 82-game journey.
However, unfortunately, the better the Clippers perform and the more Leonard exceeds expectations, the louder the media will become, as the NBA community will simply not be able to forget the current allegations surrounding the two-time champion, no matter how great he is.
This does not work in the Clippers’ favor, as the extra noise could cause Adam Silver to feel rushed, given that it would not be fair to the rest of the league if Leonard is guilty yet still playing for the time being.
Nonetheless, Leonard spoke on the entire situation during the Clippers’ media day and informed everyone that he is not worried. He provided much more detail than expected and has portrayed himself as enthusiastic to get back to basketball again.
This indeed says something, proving that he, his agent, and the Clippers, will not even pay attention to what the media has to say, or if the intensity of the situation rises, as they know that nothing was wrongfully done, and that their side of the story is correct, with all of the pieces of the puzzle lining up.