Revisiting Kawhi Leonard's Clippers Debut

It's been one year since Kawhi Leonard made his LA Clippers debut.

Transcript

00:00 On October 22nd, 2019, Kawhi Leonard stepped onto the floor at Staples Center for the first

00:06 time as a member of the LA Clippers. He did not disappoint in his debut. In a highly anticipated

00:11 matchup of the Los Angeles Lakers, Leonard, fresh off his second NBA Finals victory at the Toronto

00:15 Raptors, put up 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block in a 1-12 to 1-0-2 victory.

00:22 Perhaps the most important feat of his night though, was it helped guide the team to a win

00:27 over the eventual NBA champions without co-star Paul George at his side. George obviously missed

00:33 LA's first 11 games recovering from multiple shoulder surgeries he underwent over the summer.

00:37 Instead, Leonard's best teammate that night was Lou Williams, who logged 21 points, 7 assists,

00:43 and 5 rebounds in 37 minutes of play off the bench. The winds of the tone for much of the

00:49 beginning of LA's season, as well as Leonard's impressive campaign. The Clippers went 14-5

00:54 for their first 19 games of the season, at 49-23 overall, while Leonard managed to set

01:00 new career high marks in scoring at 27.1 points per game and assists at 4.9 per game.

01:05 The season might not have ended the way Clippers fans had hoped for, but the wrong

01:09 to say it was all for nothing. Moments like Leonard's debut, LA's win over the Lakers on

01:14 Christmas, and the ever exciting overtime win over the Boston Celtics helped make this year

01:18 a one-term member, and one that probably won't exit the minds of fans any time soon,

01:22 for better or for worse. It's hard to say when exactly we'll see Leonard and the Clippers back

01:27 under the lights at Staples, but make no mistake, with stronger leadership and the coaching staff,

01:31 and a refocused group of stars, LA will be very ready when the moment comes.