The Los Angeles Clippers are on the rise after a difficult start to the NBA season. They recovered from an early losing record and now sit eighth in the conference standings, in part thanks to the strong level shown by Kawhi Leonard. However, the star forward could lose his chances of receiving NBA awards because of injury concerns after being ruled out against the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard was ruled out of Monday night’s game against the Spurs, which marked his 15th missed game of the season. That means Leonard can miss only two more games before he becomes ineligible for end of season NBA awards.
As it stands, Kawhi Leonard appears poised to finish on an All-NBA Team and also on an All-Defensive Team. Missing two more games, however, would place him on the list of stars who are already ineligible to make those teams.
What happened to Kawhi?
Leonard has missed 14 games this season, 10 of them in November due to a right ankle sprain. Named an NBA All Star for the seventh time in his career, Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in 53 appearances this season.
Last week, Kawhi Leonard explained what allowed him to produce one of the best seasons of his 14-year NBA career. “The man above, and me just being able to play games,” the Clippers star told ClutchPoints. “I had a good offseason, I was able to just work. Just praising him, work ethic, and believing. Just trying to get better in the game. Not worrying about the outcome. Whether it’s working on my shot, handle, or passing, just being aggressive and making mistakes.”
Others who are not eligible
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry are among the players who are not eligible to win end of NBA season awards, while several others are close to reaching that limit.
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets cannot miss any more games, or he will also become ineligible. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers can each miss only five more games before losing eligibility as well. Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs has played in 52 of the Spurs’ 67 games so far, leaving him with just two games remaining before reaching the limit.