Los Angeles Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard is entering his sixth season in Southern California. The first five years of his career have been a whirlwind. With the addition of Leonard in the summer of 2019, the Clippers were immediately viewed as a championship contender, but they have failed to make it to the NBA Finals.
Leonard’s time in Los Angeles has been viewed as a disappointment even though he had a fellow superstar on his side, Paul George. However, in five seasons together, the best they could muster was a Western Conference Finals appearance.
The duo of Leonard and George was shortlived, as George jumped ship for the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason. Now Leonard is without George, but he has another stellar running mate beside him: 10-time All-Star James Harden.
This will be their first full season together, and thus far, things appear to be going swell. Leonard told The Athletic’s Law Murray the relationship with Harden has been strong.
James Harden #1 and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers converse during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on February 05, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard said that he and fellow star James Harden’s relationship is a strong one ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“The relationship has been great,” Leonard told The Athletic’s Law Murray. “He came in last year wanting to win and saying that he wanted to sacrifice and do the things we needed to do to win games. So going into this year, he has the same mindset. You just want another guy on your team that is like-minded and is just willing to do anything that it takes for us to win. I think it’s a good relationship so far. We can be transparent to each other about how we’re playing, good or bad. So I think it will be good moving forward.”
The former 2018 NBA MVP was traded to the Clippers in Oct. 2023 from the 76ers in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Robert Covington. The southern California kid returned home to play for his hometown team and joined a stacked Clippers team.
However, injuries derailed their season, especially Leonard’s right knee injury late in the season. The Clippers didn’t have enough against the eventual Western Conference Champions, the Dallas Mavericks, who they fell to in six games in the first round.
The Clippers lack the star power they’ve had in years past, so they’ll need to rely on the others to do their jobs and on superstars Leonard and Harden to carry the load this season.
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