Kawhi Leonard waited 493 days to play in a counting NBA game again before Thursday’s Clippers season opener — then he had to wait a little bit longer before his return from knee surgery was official.
Leonard played off of the bench in the Clippers’ 103-97 victory over the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, the first time the two-time most valuable player of the NBA Finals had not started since Nov. 10, 2013.
Leonard finished with 14 points on six-of-12 shooting, and added seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.
The surprise decision to bring Leonard off the bench reflected how cautiously the Clippers will ramp up Leonard’s workload while balancing their ultimate goal of keeping him healthy entering the postseason. The decision was reached after a discussion within the team that considered multiple factors, but was based on a clear top priority: How to ensure that Leonard could be available for the most impactful minutes, such as the fourth quarter’s end.
Leonard is not being held to a certain number of minutes. Instead, the team is gauging his workload in real time by monitoring certain markers, including the length and intensity of his playing stints and how much time elapses between those stints. Closing games would not be possible if Leonard started, the team reasoned, because of a wariness regarding how long he would sit.
After sitting the entire first quarter Leonard played the final six minutes 25 seconds remaining before halftime, checking in with the Clippers holding a 12-point lead. He received notable applause despite the atmosphere of a Lakers home game. Leonard quickly made his first two shots, the first a midrange pull-up jumper before backing down Juan Toscano-Anderson and taking a turnaround jumper.
Leonard played the first six minutes of the second half before reentering for a third time with eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter and the Clippers trailing 89-87. He missed his first shot, but his offensive rebound led to a Reggie Jackson three-pointer.
The plan to make Leonard a reserve was “everybody’s idea,” coach Tyronn Lue said, adding that Leonard’s usage will adapt as his readiness progresses.
“It’s not like it’s going to be long-term, it can always change if he doesn’t feel comfortable doing it and it’s something we can do better for him,” Lue said. “Tonight’s how it’s going to go and we’ll see how it goes from there.”
The Clippers’ first substitute, John Wall, had endured his own long layoff — 545 days — before Thursday’s return to an NBA court. The five-time All-Star point guard, 32, made his first two jump shots from the midrange before darting to the rim for a layup that showed the quickness the Clippers believed was a missing element last season.
Wall finished with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, making seven of 15 shots, although he missed all four of his three-point attempts.
The Clippers brought Leonard off the bench during a pair of scrimmages in the past week.
Leonard, 31, has attempted to temper expectations for his initial production as he builds up to his usual workload. After making his first two shots, he missed his next three to end the first half, and couldn’t find an open teammate after being swarmed by two defenders on the final possession of the second quarter.
The Clippers as a whole showed their rust for several stretches, losing their 16-point lead in the final five minutes of the first half through a mix of five turnovers and sloppy defense. They finished with 21 turnovers and 11 missed free throws (20 of 31, 64.5%).
Lue and the Clippers reiterated that their priority is ensuring Leonard will be at his best come the spring.
“He hasn’t played in 15, 16 months so we can’t expect him to be great every night, he has to understand that as well that it’s going to be a process,” Lue said. “It’s going to be some times where he looks like Kawhi Leonard and some times where he’s just trying to get a feel and not playing well.
“He has to understand that as great as he is, it’s not going to come overnight. We’ve got to be patient with him in that regard and he has to be patient with himself as well.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.