Medical advice still mandates that Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard continue to not play in games on back-to-back nights, according to The Athletic.
The Clippers refer to Leonard's situation as “injury management” instead of “load management” to get around the ambiguities that come with the latter term:
Conceptually, the practice of “load management” has the ability to be a locker room landmine if ever there was one for any top-tier team. Players who are fighting through the grind of an 82-game season might see that, well, loaded phrase and liken it to someone being approved for days off that they view as unnecessary. Quotes about the topic around the league show that most players either don’t understand or are against the notion.
According to Clippers sources, that’s precisely why they refer to Kawhi Leonard’s situation more accurately as ‘injury management.’ As The Athletic reported in early November, the fact that Leonard was not considered a “fully healthy player” meant he would sit out as often as the doctors advised this season. Sources say the medical advice, at present, still mandates that he not play in back-to-back games — hence the fact that he sat out against the Hawks despite the fact that the team was already without two other key players.
Leonard has appeared in 34 games this season for the Clippers. He's averaging 27.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from beyond the arc and 88.8 percent from the free-throw line.
The Clippers will continue to “load manage” Leonard during the regular season since they want the two-time Finals MVP to be fresh and healthy for the playoffs.
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