Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard seeing long-range work pay off
INGLEWOOD — Kawhi Leonard already has an All-Star career. The Clippers forward has won two NBA championships, two NBA MVP Finals awards and was named the MVP of the 2020 All-Star Game, leaving little to prove.
Yet, at 32, he hasn’t stopped trying to improve his game, tinkering with his shots, namely from 3-point range, and getting his teammates involved, an attitude that is geared more toward winning than retiring.
“I still got a lot of work,” Leonard said. “I’m going to continue to work in game because, like I said before, you need in-game reps to improve.”
Leonard aimed at improving his long game during the summer, looking to create different ways to shoot from beyond the arc and being in different actions off the ball.
His work was evident in Tuesday’s 128-102 victory against the Houston Rockets, popping off 4 of 5 3-pointers, the fourth time this season that the forward has made at least four 3-pointers in a game. The team has won all four games when he hits that mark.
He scored a game-high 41 points against the Rockets, his first 40-plus point game in two years, to lead the Clippers (8-21) to their second consecutive victory, which they hadn’t achieved since their second and third games of the season in late October.
The Clippers will be looking to extend their streak to a season-best three games Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers (12-18) at the Moda Center.
For Leonard on Tuesday, it wasn’t just the landing the shot, it was the way he got the ball to fall. On one bucket, Leonard picked up a loose ball and then calmly stopped in transition and pulled up for a 3.
On another 3-point shot, Leonard drove past Rockets’ Tari Eason before stepping back, leaving his opponent three feet away from him as the ball soared overhead.
“I think his work this summer, just off-the-dribble 3s, I thought he really worked on that a lot,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Leonard. “They’ve been talking to him about getting more shots up that way, but more pin downs, more wide screens with him being able to come off, get into his shot, and he’s been able to knock that down.
“So, those things he worked on over the summer. And we just gotta continue just to make sure we get him in his comfort spots. Not only 2’s but make sure you’re getting 3’s.”
Leonard, a career 39.1% shooter from the 3-point line, is averaging 35.1% through 18 games this season. Although his percentage is down from last season’s 41.1%, Leonard is displaying quiet confidence in taking the shot as he is averaging a career-best 2.3 from long range.
“No matter how the ball falls, I’m going to try to get as many 3’s up as possible that I can, just to get a different evolution of my game and we’ll see how things turn out,” he said.
“It’s going to be shaky, but you gotta take a step back to get better at certain things.”
Clippers at Portland
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
TV/Radio: Prime Video/AM 570