Veteran guard Lou Williams spent over three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he has played with some of the league’s best players over his 16 years in the league, including Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
In an appearance on “The 85 South Comedy Show,” Williams, who the Clippers traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Rajon Rondo last season, talked a bit about his tenure with Kawhi and company. One thing Williams learned while there? Kawhi Leonard likes to take his time.
When he was asked about the differences between players like Kawhi and the rest the greats he has played with, Williams gave a fun and slightly hilarious example of how his former teammates operated.
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Williams on Kawhi: ‘He Ain’t Gonna Do Nothing Fast’
When discussing the different approaches of players like Harden and Kawhi, Williams relayed how Leonard prepared during the week, with hilarious results.
“Completely different styles,” Williams said about the legends he has played with. “Kawhi is there an hour and a half before practice, he’s there an hour and a half after practice, but that’s just his speed though, he ain’t gonna do nothing fast. He need half the day to get his s*** together. That’s just how he operate. You know what I’m saying? But definitely a worker, man. Four completely different styles of hoopers.”
Lou Williams on Kawhi Leonard: “Kawhi is there an hour and a half before practice, he’s there an hour and a half after practice, but that’s just his speed tho… he need half the day to get his shit together.”
😂😂😂
Williams wasn’t slamming Kawhi by any means — he was expressing the fact that not all the greats approach the game the same way.
The idea that Kawhi takes his time with everything he does should also be a sign in terms of how he prepares as he comes back from his ACL injury.
What Could Kawhi’s Timetable for Return Look Like?
After partially tearing his ACL in the Clippers’ second-round series against the Utah Jazz, Leonard had surgery to repair it on July 14th. His return is one of the primary question marks surrounding the team.
A few medical experts have weighed in, and their opinions have been a bit scattered so far.
“In Kawhi’s case it will be a little less than a year, which is very doable,” Alan Beyer, executive medical director at the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Orange County, told the Los Angeles Times in August. “No two players are alike, so some would take seven or eight months to come back. With the caliber of these players, I would not rush. But I certainly would give him the full nine to 10 months at least before I’d expect to see him back.”
One trainer told the L.A. Times that a seven-month return for Kawhi “is on the early side, but it’s not unheard of. I don’t think if somebody looked really good at that point and if there’s an increased risk and they’re willing to assume it, but they are meeting all the requirements, it’s definitely not out of the ballpark that someone can come back this early,” the trainer added.
“It’s also no one’s fault if he comes back after 10 months or 11 months or 12 months. Sometimes people just respond differently to the surgery and you see it all the time.”
Considering Kawhi’s history of taking his time with nearly every aspect of his game, don’t expect him to rush back from this.
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Ex-Clippers Star on Kawhi Leonard: ‘He Ain’t Gonna Do Nothing Fast’