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Ty Lue Clears Air on Kawhi Leonard's Controversial Injury Management

Updated Aug. 29, 2025, 6:24 a.m. by Farbod Esnaashari 1 min read
NBA News

Regardless of how many games Kawhi Leonard plays in a season, there's one narrative that seems to unfairly never escape him - injury management.

For one reason or another, Leonard has become the poster boy for injury management, even though he just played 68 games in the 2023-24 season, and all seven games of the Clippers ' 2025 playoffs.

While many seem to constantly suggest that Leonard is the one choosing to miss games, Clippers head coach Ty Lue wanted to clear the air on the controversial narrative.

Lues' comments came from a recent episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast.

"I feel sorry for him, you know? Because all the work he puts inwe see it every day.

And just what it takes to get on the floor on a consistent basisit takes a lot for him to get out there.

And so it's not like he's wanting to sit out and miss games.

Like, he puts the work in every single day.

And the grind that he has to do to even get on the floor to playit's just tough, you know," Lue said.

The Truth on Kawhi Leonard's Injury Management The Clippers head coach went on to reveal that President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and the Clippers' medical staff are the ones ruling Leonard out on back-to-backs.

"So when he tries to push through that threshold himself, he gets himself in trouble.

So a lot of times, it's coming from us.

It's coming from Lawrence Frank, the medical staff.

Weve got to protect him from himself.

Because, you know, sometimes he wants to play back-to-backs.

So even though he wants to do it, sometimes youve got to protect him from himself," Lue added.

For a player like Leonard, who is both incredibly competitive and willing to rehab himself to the point of still being able to score 30 points a game, missing games is very difficult.

"And its just tough, because hes not a guy that wants to sit out.

Not wanting to play.

His whole mindset is to win championshipsand thats what he wants to do.

And like you said, sometimes its just unfortunate.

Some bad luck...

But its not like he doesnt want to work, or he doesnt want to play.

Thats definitely not true," Lue concluded.

Kawhi Leonard has successfully rehabbed himself from major numerous injuries, and somehow comes back as an All-Star caliber player each time.

For that reason alone, he should not be questioned.

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