The Los Angeles Clippers are coming off another early exit from the NBA Playoffs. The Clippers earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference Playoff picture but lost 4-2 to the Dallas Mavericks. Paul George did all he could to help the team, but unfortunately, his partner Kawhi Leonard was injured.
George is not fond of Stephen A. Smith's opinion of Leonard's perennial injury status and expressed his dismay on an episode of his podcast. Before diving into George's response, it is important to know the context behind Smith's criticism.
The last time the Clippers had a (somewhat) fully healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the playoffs was in 2020. The star duo helped the Clippers to the Conference Semifinals in their first year together, but the Denver Nuggets ended their run early. Unfortunately, Leonard dealt with knee injuries that prevented him from being completely present in future matchups.
As a result, Stephen A. Smith has been on the star forward's case about his lack of availability. In March of 2024, Smith dropped a bold claim. Smith claimed that when healthy, Leonard is a superstar, but when injured, he is the “worst superstar.”
The sports analyst has not let up on Leonard. He threw more shade at Leonard on an episode of NBA Countdown during the 2024 Finals.
“Nobody on the planet knows what it's like to play without a star than Paul George,” Smith claimed.
George defended his teammate and revealed his discontent with Smith's repeated criticism.
Paul George defends Kawhi Leonard from Stephen A. Smith
“I didn't like that moment. And I rock with Stephen A. obviously but just like, let it go. You know what I mean? Just let it go. Kawhi wants to play. I will keep beating that over the head until I'm out of breath.
“He wants to play. Like, [Smith] keeps making it something that Kawhi doesn't want to play or he doesn't want to be there,” George said via Podcast P, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “I think we relied on Kawhi a lot this year, to where it kind of got to the point of like, hey, there's only so much my body can take right now.”
Leonard played 68 games during the 2023-24 regular season, his most since 2016-17. He was highly productive, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and shooting 41.7 percent on 3-pointers. By the time the playoffs came around, Leonard was likely fatigued from playing more than he was used to.
“We exhausted a lot out of Kawhi this season, and so I just think at some point your body breaks you down, and that's the case there. But yeah, I didn't appreciate that moment [with Smith]. I know I laughed because of the situation. It was lighthearted, but you know deep down, it was just like, man, you gotta let that go Stephen A.,” George added.
Los Angeles did not get the result they hoped for in the 2024 postseason. Hopefully, George returns to the Clippers in free agency so he and Leonard make another run at a championship in 2025. By then, Leonard should be healthy and ready to go.
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