LOS ANGELES – Kawhi Leonard came out of the shadows for the first time in four months, speaking to members of the media after he was quarantined and joined the Los Angeles Clippers for their first practice on Monday afternoon. The two-time champion flew to Orlando alone, arrived on Friday night, and underwent proper protocols to return to the court.
No one had publicly heard from Leonard throughout the NBA hiatus, except for his teammates, coaches, and office staff members. However, it is clear that Leonard made the most of each day during the break.
“It’s like a low season, more or less,” Leonard told members of the media about the break. “You usually have three months and then you come to a training camp, you practice a couple and then you have the preseason games. That’s more or less the mentality. But as everyone knows, you only have eight games to prepare for the postseason. But practically It just takes that same timeline to get ready. Everyone knows his body and knows what to do, so I mean, it will be my first practice today, so we’ll go out and see how I feel and then we’ll continue from there, we’ll keep building out of But nobody knows.
It’s been just over four months since the NBA indefinitely suspended the 2019-20 regular season. Apparently, it didn’t even seem like four months to Leonard.
“Has it been four months?” Kawhi asked with a smile.
The Clippers sent training teams to their players ‘homes and coordinated Zoom calls throughout the break to keep fit and “win the wait” as Doc Rivers coined the Clippers’ goals.
Leonard says the Clippers didn’t risk anything when the quarantines began. Instead, they all went home to stay with their families while keeping in touch and continuing to exercise.
“Apart from the communication between phone or text, it was quite easy. When it started, everyone was quarantined with their family, they didn’t want to risk anything, they just tried to be responsible. But as things progressed and the NBA began opening practice facilities and just interacting with our commitments to the front office, I just took it for what it was, making sure everyone cleaned their hands, were safe, and just tried to control symptoms. from there. Just see if anyone has symptoms, and if they did, you should stay away, don’t try going to the gym with them. It was difficult, but I think everyone in their own time was able to focus on themselves and make sure their body and mind were ready for this moment here. That is more or less what it was. You had to be selfish from that point of view and just make sure you stay healthy and protect your body and improve. “
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At the beginning of the 2019-20 regular season, there was concern that Leonard was not 100 percent healthy. He did not fully participate in training camp and was out for at least half a consecutive set throughout the season. Leonard says he is now healthy and ready to go to Orlando training camp.
“I feel good. I was able to exercise, get stronger, and prepare for this moment now that we are. It’s about to be the first practice today, so I’m excited.”
A healthy Leonard and Clippers is exactly what the franchise needed as they began their quest for their first NBA Championship. The hope is that everyone follows bubble protocols and stays healthy to prevent an outbreak. Just minutes before Leonard’s conference call, the NBA and NBPA announced that two players had tested positive for the coronavirus since arriving on the Orlando campus. Additionally, two players were also caught breaking bubble protocols and were forced to quarantine for 10 days before they can resume events with their teams.
Kawhi Leonard is not surprised that positive evidence is already showing up.
“I am not surprised that someone understood it within the bubble. You bring in so many people from different cities and states, and there is no control over that. “
“But I think we are doing the best we can. The NBA organized this process, this quarantine, and we’re doing everything under test guidelines every day, trying to stay socially distant from everyone. But who knows, I mean, what’s going to happen. All we can do is try to stay optimistic and positive, and we look forward to finishing this season. ”
More than anything, Leonard is happy to return to basketball. There have been mentions of an asterisk surrounding this season’s NBA champion, considering who will be healthy or available for October, but none of that matters to Leonard. The two-time MVP of the Finals just keeps up with the season.
“This is just the design for this year. Just stay focused. It is not like a regular NBA season. Nobody’s life is more or less like they planned at the moment with the pandemic, so I mean, you take it for what it is. Everyone is happy that a championship will be crowned this year, and if that is the 2020 championship, then we want it. You know, that’s how I see it. This is the design, as far as going out and completing this journey. “
In his first season with the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard was averaging his career highs across the board with 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.1 triples per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field.
