The LA Clippers will have to begin their season with a massive subtraction to their starting lineup. While Kawhi Leonard may attempt a comeback at some point during the season, he is still expected to miss significant time recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery. According to Nicolas Batum, while the Clippers obviously miss Kawhi's presence on the court, he has remained active as a leader on the sidelines.
When asked how involved Kawhi has been with the team during his rehab, Batum said, "He's right there, He's here today. He's here every day being vocal, being a coach." When asked to expand upon Kawhi as a coach, Batum said that while he isn't the loudest, he knows what to say and when to say it.
Before Kawhi got hurt, his pairing with Batum was always dominant. In the 1,117 regular season minutes that duo shared the floor together, they posted a 118.7 ORTG, 110.3 DRTG, and a +8.4 NTRG. These numbers went up across the board in the playoffs, with the duo of Batum and Leonard posting a 122.8 ORTG, 109.2 DRTG, and a +16.6 NTRG in the minutes they shared the floor together before Kawhi went down.
While the Clippers will have to wait quite a while before utilizing that tandem once again, the duo is maintaning a level of chemistry even with Kawhi sidelined.
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