Lou Williams Thinks Kawhi Leonard's $153 Million Extension Shows He Might Have Been Right About Load Management

Kawhi Leonard is having a fabulous 2023-24 season, and his former Los Angeles Clippers teammate Lou Williams thinks it might be showing that he was right all along about load management.

“Maybe this entire time Kawhi was right," Williams said on Run It Back. "He’s been the poster boy for load management over the course of years and now look at him. He’s healthy, he’s playing 35 minutes a game, got a big, big bag. On the strength of that, maybe he was right the whole time about load management." 

Leonard has been widely criticized over the years for load management, and Williams believes this 2023-24 season might prove that it works. The five-time All-Star has played 33 out of 37 games in this campaign, only missing some time due to a hip injury. 

After a slow start to the season, Leonard has been excellent on the court, averaging 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. The 32-year-old has also been incredibly efficient, shooting 51.8% from the field and 43.2% from beyond the arc.

With how well things are going, the Clippers gave Leonard a three-year, $153 million extension earlier this week. There were some doubts about whether the team would do it, considering how much time he had missed, but they seem to believe he will stay relatively healthy in the near future.

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Kawhi Leonard Shared Why He Chose To Sign A Three-Year Deal

While Leonard got the bag here, as Williams stated, he could have got more than that. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was eligible for a four-year, $220 million extension but settled for less than that. He was asked about it, and Leonard explained why he signed a three-year deal with the Clippers.

“It's just what it is. I think at that point I'm gonna be 35, so I gotta see how I'm playing at that age. So I guess that's the number.”

The length of the deal does make you believe that a compromise of sorts had to be reached based on Leonard's injury history. While you'd love to be very optimistic based on this season, there is one thing we know for sure, and it's that injury-prone players don't get healthier as they age. Maybe Kawhi somehow ends up being the exception, we'll see.

As for Paul George and James Harden, Leonard seems confident they'll both be re-signed as well. George himself stated he is very optimistic he will get a deal done, as he appears to be very happy to be a Clipper.

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Charles Barkley Believes The Clippers Are The Scariest Team In The Western Conference

With Leonard, George, and Harden leading the way, the Clippers have turned things around after a disastrous start to the season. They are 16-3 in their last 19 games and have now improved to 24-13 in this 2023-24 campaign.

They have been extremely impressive, and Charles Barkley says the Clippers are the scariest team in the West. He added that when healthy, Kawhi is a top-five player in the NBA, and really, their season will come down to him.

If Leonard can stay healthy in the playoffs, I think the Clippers will have a good chance of beating most teams in the West. The one big stumbling block, though, would be the Denver Nuggets, as L.A. just doesn't have anyone on the roster that can handle Nikola Jokic.

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