The NBA will likely look into the latest example of a team resting one of its star players with what has recently been coined as “load management.”
First-year Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will be on the bench for Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz.
Head coach Doc Rivers noted that Leonard is dealing with a knee injury while also indicating that the reigning NBA Finals MVP “has never felt better.”
This is unlikely to sit well with Adam Silver and the powers to be. What is it? Is Leonard’s knee an issue? Has he never felt better? It’s definitely a mixed message from Rivers.
Leonard himself sat out multiple games for load management in his first and only season with the Toronto Raptors. It looks like the Clippers are going to follow that pattern.
Wednesday night’s game against the Jazz will be aired nationally on ESPN. That’s going to lead to renewed interest in Leonard’s status by the NBA.
It’s also not a coincidence that this is the first half of a back-to-back with Los Angeles set to host the San Antonio Spurs Halloween night.