INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kawhi Leonard is in no rush to free himself from the minutes restriction he’s been playing under since making his season debut recently.
“I’m taking my time,” the LA Clippers superstar said. “I did that in the past and it got me benched, so I’m fine where I am.”
Leonard scored six points on 3-of-9 shooting and five rebounds in 21 minutes of his third game, a 109-98 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night. He did not play in the fourth quarter of a game in which the Clippers trailed by 13 points early.
“Happy to have achieved the victory,” he said. “Good team wins.”
The Clippers are 21-17 and are sixth in the West.
“I’m just really playing and trying to do my job to help the team win,” Leonard said.
Leonard has totaled 26 points and 10 rebounds in 61 minutes in the three games. The two-time NBA Finals MVP started the season late as he needed time to rehabilitate and strengthen his surgically repaired right knee that ended his previous seasons early.
“I feel good and as long as I feel good on the court, I can move quickly and get to my spots,” he said. “That’s all I’m looking for.”
Leonard’s teammates are working to slowly incorporate him into what they built during the first part of the season. They were 19-15 before he returned.
“He’s just working on getting the flow of the game as far as conditioning and playing, like everything before,” James Harden said. “He hadn’t had a training camp, preseason, anything like that, so for us it’s just about making his job a lot easier.”
The Clippers provided few and generally vague updates on Leonard’s progress during the early part of the season, when he did not speak to the media.
“Kawhi is one of the best players in the league,” center Ivica Zubac said. “When I get my legs under control and the rhythm, it will be really good.”
Leonard did not play in Denver last week after wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area. He left the team to return to his family.
“Just trying to get the family in order, making sure everyone is settled and safe,” he said.
When asked if his house was okay, Leonard replied: “As we know, not everyone is okay. You saw the houses burned down, so it’s self-explanatory.”
