Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 6:24 AM ET

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 in—we see it every day. And just what it takes to get on the floor on a consistent basis—it 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 play—it'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. We’ve 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 you’ve 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 it’s just tough, because he’s not a guy that wants to sit out. Not wanting to play. His whole mindset is to win championships—and that’s what he wants to do. And like you said, sometimes it’s just unfortunate. Some bad luck... But it’s not like he doesn’t want to work, or he doesn’t want to play. That’s 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.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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