Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers superstar is a basketball genius. He is a two time NBA champion and two times final MVP. He is the best player the Clippers have right now but has been plagued with injuries.
Kawhi the “Fun Guy” when healthy, is one of the top players in the NBA. He might not have a huge fan base like Steph Curry or LeBron James, but just like them he is an excellent baller and a champion. It seems analyst and TV personality Stephen A. Smith does not feel that way about the player.
Kawhi faces harsh criticism from Stephen A. Smith
The NBA has made new load management rules called the Player Participation Policy. According to this new NBA policy, multiple star players from the same team will not be allowed to rest at the same time in the same game without approval. At least one of them must be playing. Along with this, healthy star players would have to play in the Nationally televised and in season tournament games compulsorily. According to the PPP rules, the term ‘star player’ refers to a player who has been part of the All-star or All NBA team in the prior three seasons.
When asked about these rules during his media day, Kawhi showed no interest in following the rules which led him to receive a lot of harsh criticism from popular NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith.
In a recent statement, Kawhi Leonard sought to dispel misconceptions surrounding his playing status and load management practices. Contrary to what many believe, he asserted that he does not sit out games due to load management. Leonard said that during his days as a Toronto Raptor, he would miss games in order to heal from his injuries and stressed the importance of understanding medical details provided by professional doctors.
However, his carefree attitude regarding the new policies did not sit well with Stephen A. Smith who said, “I’m dead serious when I say this. Kawhi Leonard is the absolute worst superstar that a team can have. Period. People are misconstruing what I’m saying. He is a superstar, a champion, a two-time champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP even though LeBron James averaged 28 against him in that series.”
Smith emphasized that it is Kawhi Leonard’s mentality that he criticized and the players performance.
Kawhi Leonard snubs NBA rest policy
During his media day interview Kawhi made it loud and clear that he has no concern for the new rest rules and will miss games if he thinks it is necessary for his health
Kawhi also said that whenever he misses games it is not because of laziness but because he needs rest, in order to protect himself from further injuries. “I was coming from an injury and you have to know the details of the doctor”, Leonard, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, said Monday.
“But if the league is seeing or trying to mock what I did with the Raptors, they should stop because I was injured the whole year. But other than that, if I’m able to play, I’ll play basketball. I’ll work out every day in the summertime to play the game, not to sit and watch people play. No league policy is helping me to play more games.”
What is your take on Kawhi Leonard’s statements? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
