Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard matched his career-high in rebounds with an astounding 16 in Friday night's game against the Utah Jazz. The effort equaled the one he gave against the Dallas Mavericks in April of 2014 when he was still a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
Per Clippers PR, Kawhi Leonard has tied his career high in rebounds with 16 boards tonight against the Jazz.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 2, 2021
Though the Clippers fell to the Jazz 100-106, the loss could hardly be blamed on Leonard's effort, who, in addition to matching the career-high, also contributed 20 points in 39 minutes of action. Operating on a minutes restriction instituted by the team's front office and medical staff to alleviate the mileage on his knees, the 39 minutes of game time are easily the most the forward has played this season. That the coaching staff would choose to deploy him to such a heavy degree so early in the season is yet another indication of Los Angeles' struggles when he is not in the lineup.
Only five days removed from a 124-73 loss to the Dallas Mavericks–in which their 50-point deficit at halftime was the biggest in the shot-clock era–the Clippers have begun to be a bit more aggressive in utilizing their franchise superstar.
Perhaps even more impressive was that Leonard obtained the rebounding mark while wearing a face mask designed to protect his jaw's lower half. Elbowed inadvertently in the face by Serge Ibaka just a week ago, Leonard received eight stitches in his mouth and was forced to miss the following two games–including the blowout by the Mavericks.
Taking the court for the first time since the injury, Kawhi displayed little hesitation in handling the interior for LA, routinely using his body to box opponents out and grabbing rebounds. For a team looking for an early-season spark, a masked Kawhi may prove to be just that.
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