When it comes to “load management” Kawhi Leonard is frequently the first player mentioned. Due to his numerous injury absences from games, he has unintentionally become the face of this contentious issue. Antonio Daniels, on the other hand, has defended Leonard, arguing that his absence is not unjustified.
Daniels attempted to terminate a long-running story about Leonard’s load management on SiriusXM NBA Radio. The NBA expert concurred that the Klaw was responsible for the origins of the load management concept. He didn’t have an explanation, though, and thought Leonard wasn’t intentionally skipping games. The former star of the San Antonio Spurs stated: “When I think of low management, Kawhi Leonard’s not who I think of. I can think of him in saying a lot of the load management started with Kawhi Leonard. But truth be told, I’ve never thought that Kawhi Leonard was sitting out for the sake of sitting out,”
Antonio Daniels talks about importance of Kawhi Leonard
Daniels continued by saying that the league ought to permit some players to blame missing games on “load management.” The commentator used Leonard’s severe injuries and LeBron James’ advanced age as instances to support his assertion. He continued, saying: “There are certain guys I feel like that are exempt from load management… LeBron James to me should be able to load manage whenever he wants to. When you’re that age, you should be able to load manage as you see fit. Kawhi Leonard, because his injury is degenerative, he should be able to load manage whenever he wants to load manage. Plain and simple,”
“There are certain guys I feel like that are exempt from load management”
🔊@adaniels33 reacts to the news of Kawhi Leonard having a procedure on his knee during the offseason. pic.twitter.com/jDdNLDOwYh
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 29, 2024
This subject came up after the Clippers recently revealed specifics of Leonard’s most recent ailment. The two-time Finals MVP had surgery on his right knee during the offseason. He sustained an injury to the same knee earlier in the season, which kept him out of the postseason and out of the 2024 Olympics.
The 6’7″ forward is eager to participate in the training camp even though the swelling has subsided, but the Clippers are holding him back. A representative for the Los Angeles Lakers stated that the team wants Leonard to be completely healthy before he takes the court. Fans should thus anticipate that the 33-year-old will miss some of the regular season in 2024–2025.
Paul Pierce’s suggestion for Leonard to retire is starting to make more sense as more details of the six-time All-Star’s ailments are revealed to the public.
