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Stephen A. Smith Not Sold on Clippers, Is Waiting on Kawhi Leonard to Get Hurt

ESPN star cannot buy in.

Kyle Koster

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball during the second half at Intuit Dome.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball during the second half at Intuit Dome. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Clippers have flown a bit under the national radar this season yet find themselves currently in possession of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a very realistic chance to move up to the sixth spot and avoid the play-In tournament. No matter what happens during the regular season, opposing teams are not going to be particularly thrilled to see the combination of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden taking the court on the other side. Especially if both of them are healthy.

But given Leonard's injury history, that's an enormous if.

Discussing the team on Wednesday's First Take, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith revealed that he's not particular high on them because he's waiting for yet another Leonard malady.

"The reason I'm not sold on the Clippers is because ... I'm just waiting for Kawhi Leonard to get hurt," Smith said. "I know that come playoff time, he's not going to be available."

Sensing that this was not a particualry well-received take, Smith elaborated.

"Molly [Qerim], I'm not letting this go. This is a man who went into a playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, dropped 38, walked off the court, looked perfectly fine. And then 4 o'clock the next day be like 'he's out for the year.' What! What happened?"

What happened is that Leonard tore his meniscus.

Obviously Leonard's unfortunate injury ledger is quite lengthy. There are also questions to be asked regarding his willingness to be available. None of this is new.

For what it's worth, Leonard has played 26 games for the Clippers since returning to the team healthy in early January. He's playing 30 minutes per contest and scoring 19.6 a game. Los Angeles is 16–10 when they have his services.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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