Kawhi Leonard is still on the sidelines as he recovers from inflammation in his right knee and it appears he hasn’t been happy with what he has seen in the NBA this season. On The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, Patrick Beverley shared some text messages he’d received from Leonard, his former Los Angeles Clippers teammate.
“I talked to Kawhi on the phone yesterday,” Beverley said. “He healing up. He still looks like a f***ing machine. Klaw, that’s what I got him in my phone, (texted) ‘The league stinks right now. Views are low… They are waiting on the Klaw.”
I sense a bit of sarcasm there from Leonard. Regardless, the six-time All-Star is right about viewership being down this season. It’s been the case basically from the start itself, as NBA viewership declined 42% in Week 1 following impressive opening night numbers.
There hasn’t been a recovery yet either. According to Front Row Sports, viewership on ESPN went down 28 percent through Nov. 21. Viewership on TNT had also been down 3 percent but the marquee NBA Cup clash between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 19 helped bridge that gap.
Everyone has their own theory on the reason behind this drop. Shaquille O’Neal stated that the decline in NBA viewership is due to every team playing the same way. O’Neal believes teams are shooting too many threes and warns that viewership will keep going down unless they change their strategies.
While that notion is starting to spread, commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t believe it to be the reason. Silver thinks the NBA’s low ratings stemmed from external factors like the U.S. Presidential Election and the World Series. He doesn’t believe the three-pointers have anything to do with it and is confident things will get better. Time will tell I suppose.
The Clippers Have Managed To Stay Afloat Without Kawhi Leonard
When it was revealed Leonard was out indefinitely due to his knee injury, many feared the worst for the Clippers. With Paul George having already departed in free agency, it looked like a complete collapse might potentially be on the cards but that’s not been the case.
The Clippers are now 12-9 on the season following a narrow 93-92 loss in the NBA Cup to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. James Harden put up 20 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, and five steals in the contest and his strong play is a big reason why they’ve gotten off to this solid start.
The likes of Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac have stepped up as well and I’d give the Clippers a decent chance at making the playoffs this season. For them to make some noise in the postseason, though, they’ll need Leonard, who averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023-24, to be healthy and I can’t say I’m optimistic about that.
There’s still no timetable for Kawhi’s return but even if he does come back in the coming weeks, I don’t think there’s anyone who’d be confident he will stay upright the rest of the way. The 33-year-old’s body always seems to break down at the business end of the season and as he gets older, the chances of the injury bug staying away get slimmer.
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