Jan 22, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (left) and forward Kawhi Leonard (right) during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Ty Lue's Message to Kawhi Leonard, James Harden After Loss to Nuggets

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated May 4, 2025 12:45 PM ET

The LA Clippers ended their 2024-25 campaign with a Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, finishing their playoff run much sooner than expected.

The Clippers, built around James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, certainly had championship aspirations heading into the postseason, but could not get past three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

Leonard, 33, completed his first full playoff series since 2021, as he has consistently been knocked for not being healthy. While Leonard was healthy for the playoffs, the six-time All-Star still missed 45 games this season, including the first 34. Barring any shocking roster moves, the Clippers are certainly looking forward to having a healthy Kawhi Leonard next season.

Following their season-ending loss, Clippers head coach Ty Lue talked about the pairing of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard and hopes to get a full season of the duo next year.

"James having to carry such a heavy load with Kawhi missing 45 games and just having to carry that load all season long, he did a great job with that," Lue said. "I think Kawhi, just coming back being Kawhi, having the confidence in his knee where he can play more minutes, he can get to these games.

"Those two together for a whole season, I think would be tremendous. When you have your best player missing 45 games, it's kind of hard to gel the way we wanted to. But I thought they did a good job of just sticking with it."

"Those two together for a whole season, I think would be tremendous."

Ty Lue on the possibility of running back the Harden-Kawhi duo for another season pic.twitter.com/y1kYXk4y91
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 4, 2025

The Clippers could have had a much different season if Leonard were healthy, and they are certainly hoping to get that next year alongside guys like Harden, Ivica Zubac, and the rest of their supporting cast.

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

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