During his appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Ty Lue shared that Kawhi Leonard has been deeply affected by his injuries, to the point of almost breaking down in tears.
Lue disclosed that there have been nights when Leonard felt he had let the team down due to his physical setbacks.
Leonard, known for his stoic demeanor on the court, has faced a series of injuries that have kept him off the court for plenty of time over the course of his career. Despite his relentless work ethic and dedication to recovery, the recurring injuries have taken a toll on him emotionally.
“He wants to be on the floor every single night, and it’s just bad timing,” Lue said. “It’s not like he said, ‘Okay, we get to the playoffs, and I don’t want to play.’ It’s been some tough days and nights, and I’ve talked to Kawhi on nights where he’s almost crying just talking about how he’s let the team down.”
Lue has been a pillar of support for Leonard, often having to step in and prevent him from rushing back into the game.
“A lot of times, it’s myself or our organization like, ‘Listen Kawhi, you’re like 40%, so you can’t go out on the floor tonight because you’ll make it even worse,’” Lue explained.
This balancing act between Leonard’s eagerness to play and the need to ensure his full recovery has been a challenging aspect of Lue’s coaching responsibilities.
Despite the setbacks, there is optimism around Leonard’s return. Lue mentioned that Leonard has been making progress in his rehabilitation and is working hard every day to get back on the court.
“He’s another guy that works extremely hard every single day to be on the floor, the court, and it’s just unfortunate luck,” Lue added.
Ty Lue says there’s been nights where Kawhi Leonard is almost in tears because he thinks his injuries have let the Clippers down.
Lue: “I’ve talked to Kawhi, nights where he’s almost crying just talking about how he’s let the team down.”
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— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 9, 2024
