James Harden believes Kawhi Leonard doesn’t get enough appreciation after he led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 at Ball Arena on Monday night. Harden thinks Leonard should get more props for fighting through all the adversity he has faced in his career, and the two-time NBA champion was asked about those comments in his press conference.
“It’s great,” Leonard said. “Anybody in the business that’s playing knows how hard it is to either come back from injury or just even playing in the NBA. They understand what we all go through, what I go through. To see that from your peers and hear that from him, it’s great. I told several people before, just thanks for helping me through stuff and time with injuries.”
It is admirable how Leonard just keeps bouncing back after all he has been through. The 33-year-old missed the first 34 games of this 2024-25 season with a knee injury but worked his socks off behind the scenes. Leonard recently shared what drives him to keep coming back, and he sure looks to be at his devastating best now.
Leonard had 39 points (15-19 FG), three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in Game 2. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter against the Nuggets to drag the Clippers to a win that tied this first-round series at 1-1.
Harden, who had 18 points (7-17 FG), three rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocks in Game 2, witnessed Leonard’s heroics firsthand and was very impressed by what he saw. Here is what he had to say postgame about his teammate not getting the appreciation he deserves for coming back from all he has been through.
“Not even a little bit,” Harden said. “It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through and what he’s not able to do. Just because of something that he can’t control. But we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight.
“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that’s out of their hands or they can’t control,” Harden continued. “It’s always the negative. It’s always the hate that people want to talk about. It’s something we gotta live with, I guess, in this world. For me being closer to him, and every single day seeing the work that he puts in, you appreciate him.”
While the outside world may not appreciate Leonard enough, his teammates and others within the Clippers organization sure do. They see all the work the six-time All-Star puts in and would be thrilled to see him dominate on the court once again.
The Clippers are going to be very hard to beat in these playoffs with a healthy Leonard, and head coach Tyronn Lue believes they can win any series with him. The question, though, is whether he will stay healthy.
Leonard suffered injuries in the 2021, 2023, and 2024 playoffs. As for 2022, well, the Clippers didn’t even make it in because he missed the entire season with a torn ACL. Leonard’s body has betrayed him time after time, and here’s hoping the injury bug stays away for once. We’ll see him in action next in Game 3 at the Intuit Dome on Thursday at 10 PM ET.
