Clippers miss Kawhi Leonard but appreciate his coaching

PLAYA VISTA — First, foremost, for sure: Tyronn Lue would similar to beryllium talking astir Kawhi Leonard’s show connected the tribunal than his contributions disconnected it.

By each accounts, the Clippers’ injured prima has been an progressive subordinate – vocally, from the sidelines – truthful acold successful grooming camp.

But, yes, Lue couldn’t assistance but laugh: “I’d alternatively person him retired there!”

On July 13, Leonard underwent surgery to repair a torn close anterior cruciate ligament that helium sustained successful Game 4 of the Clippers’ second-round Western Conference playoff clash against Utah.

He near unfastened the doorway for a imaginable instrumentality this play when helium spoke astatine media day and offered his archetypal nationalist comments astir his determination to re-sign connected a motion a four-year, $176.3 cardinal woody (with a subordinate enactment for the last season).

“I wanted to unafraid immoderate money,” Leonard said precocious past month. “And I wanted to beryllium capable to travel backmost if I was capable to this year. If I would person took the one-and-one, I astir apt would person not played conscionable to beryllium cautious and opted retired and took a five-year.”

Still, there’s nary timetable for his return: “He has a torn ACL,” Clippers guardant Nicolas Batum said, “it’s not a sprained ankle. So we privation him to person the champion betterment imaginable because, we don’t privation him to be, ‘OK, we privation you backmost to your 75% erstwhile you travel backmost and past 2 weeks after, bang. No, we privation him to beryllium 150% earlier helium comes back.”

And helium isn’t precisely gone.

“Yeah he’s close there,” Batum said earlier signifier Friday astatine the Clippers’ grooming facility, with a motion crossed the gym, toward wherever the value grooming instrumentality is stationed. “Like he’s present today. He’s here, he’s astir each day. He’s been vocal … he’s a bully coach, and he’s similar that actually. So that’s bully to person astir because, you know, we miss him, but helium tin inactive person an interaction connected the squad anyway.”

And what is Coach Kawhi like?

“He’s not similar the loudest one, but no, helium knows what to say, what to do,” Batum said. “When helium has (something) to say, particularly connected the broadside erstwhile we play five-on-five … he’ll instrumentality guys connected the broadside and archer you what helium sees, what helium conscionable saw the past erstwhile play.”

And for a young subordinate especially, that benignant of insight, erstwhile it comes from a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, it resonates otherwise than adjacent erstwhile it comes from the caput manager – according to the caput coach.

“Just having Kawhi talking to those guys, letting them cognize what helium sees, things they tin get amended at, that’s a immense lift,” Lue said. “That’s a batch of motivation,  conscionable coming from him, a subordinate of that caliber.

“And the aforesaid with PG,” added Lue, noting that the Clippers bash person Paul George, a six-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA prime connected the court, intending to assistance the for-now-Leonard-less squad into contention again aft having carried them to the franchise’s archetypal Western Conference finals quality past season.

“I mean, (George) is doing a large occupation with these young guys,” Lue said. “Just keeping their assurance up and making definite their assurance doesn’t waver, due to the fact that that’s precise casual to bash erstwhile you’re a young player.”

While Leonard’s observations are helping his teammates’ games – the other signifier he’s getting vocalizing those views could beryllium helping him with his own, already exemplary game, Lue suggested.

“He’s decidedly a person by example,” Lue said. “Just the enactment helium puts in, and being aboriginal each day, staying late, moving connected his game. And having the aforesaid regular each azygous day, truthful we spot that.

“The vocal leadership, it’s conscionable antithetic for everyone. Last twelvemonth helium took a measurement guardant of conscionable being much vocal, and this year, erstwhile he’s astir he’s doing the aforesaid thing. I conscionable deliberation it’s a process, you know? I deliberation it’s similar each twelvemonth you adhd thing to your game, basketball-wise. I think, enactment arsenic acold arsenic being vocal, it’s the aforesaid thing, conscionable taking steps and he’s decidedly done that, successful taking steps successful the close direction.”

Nic Batum connected Coach Kawhi: “It’s bully to person him around” though, no, “he’s not the loudest.” pic.twitter.com/V2Ojsjbp2a

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) October 15, 2021