So Kawhi Leonard was replaced by Derrick White.
So they are replacing a former San Antonio Spur who went on to win a title with another team, with a former San Antonio Spur who ALSO went on to win a title with another team.
This is good, at least for all three sides.
The thing about The Klaw is that we see him as a Top 20 player since his climb with the San Antonio Spurs. He got a championship with the Toronto Raptors and has since found a home with the Los Angeles Clippers. That said, he is far from dependable. You can say that I’m high, but his history speaks for itself. San Antonio wanted him to play, but he didn’t. Yes, Kawhi had to take care of his health, but after the Spurs, Leonard has been synonymous with load management.
The Clippers were virtually the only super team during the 2024 NBA Playoffs with James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook backing Kawhi up, but they lost the chance nonetheless because Leonard’s health was so unreliable.
Leonard played a total of 187 games in the last four seasons, including 15 postseason games, for a whopping 46.8 games per season. Meanwhile, Derrick White has played 328 games in the last four seasons, including 62 playoff games, for an average of 82 games per season. And if you consider that White played an average of 77.5 regular season games and 19.5 playoff games in the last two seasons, then you can say White is more reliable than Kawhi.
And I know, Leonard’s superstar status isn’t comparable to White’s starter status, it’s not like Team USA is going to miss his services. With Kawhi and White, Team USA climbed a first-quarter deficit to defeat powerhouse Canada, 86 to 72. If you also consider Kawhi’s teammates, then why would the team need another combo forward if they already have Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum, to backstop Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, and Joel Embiid?
This is just a simple case of whether or not Kawhi Leonard is reliable enough to do the grind. Team USA can’t risk going to Paris with just eleven healthy players, especially with Embiid and Davis historically injury-prone. Meanwhile, the Clippers can’t risk Kawhi Leonard getting injured during the games. Before the decision, Paul George has left LA to join Joel Embiid in Philly. I know they lost a lot of potential stars including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams when they traded for Paul George, but they are also coming in James Harden and Russell Westbrook contented with diminished roles. These players are already in their 30s and have burned a lot of bridges in the league. For Kawhi, this pullout is going to be helpful for him to place value back on his name and help Harden and Westbrook get what would be their best chance to win a title.
Gilas Pilipinas is the best example of this. Yes, I have been preaching that this is Tim Cone’s team, and because of his championships and contributions, he needs to have the green light to do whatever the hell he wants, but against Brazil, we lacked the manpower. Look, I will still keep Japeth Aguilar on the team, but I will also need a backup plan in case a similar problem arises.
Gilas entered Latvia with just eleven men. In 1998, Cone had Jeffrey Cariaso and Bong Hawkins (although injured,) as alternates. I get that Kevin Quiambao played sporadically, but Mason Amos didn’t play a single game. I know he was an alternate and Cone probably thought that he was too raw for the competition. Still, he could have juiced the lineup by bringing some of his Asian Games players like Marcio Lassiter and Arvin Tolentino, because I know Kevin Alas is still nursing an injury. At the same time, Chris Ross and Angelo Kouame can only play if the team takes out Justin Brownlee. When Gilas contacted RR Pogoy, Renz Abando, and Jordan Heading, it was during the late stages of preparation. Pogoy couldn’t get his visa on time while the other two had other commitments.
Again, I know Cone played around eight players but losing Kai Sotto was crucial and if we can’t have our best player in that position, the next best thing to do is to get a bunch of players to “group project” the paint.
Missing Kaiju in the Brazil game is a learning experience for Gilas, and Team USA has a chance to get out of this bind.
Yes, in some ways, it’s crazy that White is Team USA’s standby when they could have had Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Austin Reaves. But like Cone, Steve Kerr has seen what he needs to see in the other prospects, and White stood out as the player he wants to use.