Clippings: Kawhi Leonard says he’s up to play more back-to-backs

One of the constants of the current NBA was that Kawhi Leonard would not play both games in a back-to-back.

Whether you regard that selfish to make a blanket policy or smart to limit wear and tear over the course of a long regular season, it was a known known, as they say, about Leonard.

But he played in both legs of an LA Clippers back-to-back this week, against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. It was Leonard’s first back-to-back in nearly four years, dating back to April 2021.

And Leonard says he’s willing to play more of them moving forward.

“I mean, I think I’ll be playing, pretty much,” Leonard said Thursday, as reported by ESPN. “The last few years, I was injured, and I worked on getting my leg stronger, and it’s been a long time. But I was patient, and I’m able to play.”

In that light, it makes sense that he’s been so cautious. And I think we’ll see him sit out some legs of back-to-backs in the future, especially with the games really piling up. Still, if Leonard feels good enough to play both games, that has to be good news for his health and eventually, his stamina when it comes to the games that really count.

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• Predictions in sports business for 2021: For some insight on good ideas, intriguing ideas and just truly harebrained predictions all mixed together, The Athletic talked to sports industry leaders and sports business experts to see what they expect this year in the sports world on the business side.