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Following Kendrick Perkins pushing for Kawhi Leonard's retirement, Draymond Green came to the Los Angeles Clippers forward's defense. On the Draymond Green Show, he and Baron Davis talked about Perkins's thoughts and felt confused.
“I was baffled when I heard him say it,” Green said. “I just think as an athlete, to know that a guy who people have questioned whether he’s cheating the game but clearly as you look what’s happened over time, the man ain’t cheated the game. He got better from the time he came into the NBA.
“He improved everything; ball handling, shooting, you name it. And then when he started to get hurt, won championships, hasn’t been the healthiest guy. People questioned whether he was faking. The man wasn’t faking.”
The Clippers will miss Leonard as he's dealing with another knee injury. He also missed the 2024 Summer Olympics due to a lingering knee issue. Injuries have plagued Leonard the last few seasons but it doesn't discount how valuable he is on the floor.
Kawhi Leonard can still be productive with the Clippers
When Leonard has graced an NBA court, he's easily a top player in the league. The mix of defense, three-level scoring, and an innate clutch gene has helped him become a premier star. For instance, the Clippers forward took home two Defensive Player of the Year trophies during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. His accolades speak for themselves.
Also, he led the Toronto Raptors to their first and only NBA championship in his lone season with the team. He averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while having 1.7 steals. He also took home the 2019 NBA Finals MVP trophy and made his way to Los Angeles.
Since then, he's shown the same level of dominance. However, he's been bitten by the injury bug. In four seasons with the Clippers, Leonard has only played 229 games. When Leonard has played, his production hasn't dropped off at a significant level.
“To hear Perk say yeah he needs to retire, he needs to consider retirement. I think that was crazy because during Kendrick Perkins's last three years in the NBA, nobody was pushing him to retirement and everybody probably should have. The man averaged 2.5 points per game for three years straight.”
While the jab is unnecessary, Green illustrates a valid point nonetheless. He feels that it's not fair that a former player can hate another for something he can't control. The Warriors forward kept emphasizing that injuries are a part of the game. Even with Leonard's injuries, they haven't diminished his value as a player.
The Clippers will be without Leonard for the foreseeable future but are hopeful he'll come back sooner rather than later.
