Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard says he's close to fully recovered from a quad injury that caused him to curtail his workload in recent seasons.
Leonard, 29, played 37 minutes on Tuesday and followed that up with 35 minutes on Wednesday, marking his first appearance in consecutive games since April 2017.
The two-time NBA champion confirmed after the second contest that he's taking on a relatively beefed up schedule this season.
"I mean, I think I'll be playing, pretty much," Leonard told reporters about playing in back-to-backs. "The last few years, I was injured, and I worked on getting my leg stronger, and it's been a long time. But I was patient, and I'm able to play."
Leonard has been arguably the most prominent player to miss games for rest and recovery purposes over multiple seasons recently, officially to nurse the aforementioned leg injury that limited him to just nine games in 2017-18.
The strategy seemed to work well enough when Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to an improbable NBA title in 2018-19.
But it seemed to backfire spectacularly in his first year with the Los Angeles Clippers, a team reportedly beset by chemistry issues, including what Leonard's teammates apparently viewed as preferential treatment for the four-time All-Star.
Critics seized on the reported dysfunction, questioning the leadership of Leonard and Clippers co-star Paul George following the team's stunning playoff collapse against the Denver Nuggets after enjoying a 3-1 series lead.
The disappointing finish led to the ouster of longtime coach Doc Rivers, now with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile Leonard supporters and progressive-minded basketball observers say strategic rest can enhance a player's usefulness to their team, not to mention potentially extend careers.
Many players and analysts have long criticized the length of the league's usual 82-game schedule, some suggesting the long grind leads to fatigue, injuries, and ultimately, shorter careers.
The 2020-21 season was truncated to 72 games, owing to the short turnaround after last season ended in October -- about four months later than usual -- owing to the pandemic.
Whether Leonard is fully healthy or perhaps just decided a change was necessary after his team's disappointing finish in the bubble, it appears the polarizing discussion about how to keep players healthy will have to find a new lightning rod.