Clippers News: Kawhi Leonard Won't Have Minutes Limit, Restrictions vs. Lakers

The new-look Los Angeles Clippers will begin their 2019-20 regular season Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, and they won't be pulling any punches.   

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Monday that Kawhi Leonard's minutes will not be limited, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, and the reigning NBA Finals MVP won't be restricted in any way.

"I feel healthy," Leonard told Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times in a story published Friday. "That's all that matters." 

Leonard signed with the Clippers as a free agent this summer after leading the Toronto Raptors to their first title in franchise history last season. 

Leonard's addition, paired with the Clippers' trade to acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, have L.A. among the favorites to win this season's championship.

Given how successful the Raptors were with managing Leonard's load last year, the Clippers could employ the same strategy as the season unfolds. Leonard played in 60 out of 82 regular-season games in 2018-19, and the two-time NBA champion praised the Raptors for how they managed his health:

It was the direct opposite of how things played out for Leonard at the end of his San Antonio Spurs tenure in 2017-18 when he played just nine games due to a lingering quadriceps injury. There was tension between Leonard and the organization over how to handle his recovery.

"We’ve still got 82 games and I’ll find a rhythm going into there, as well, if I’m not happy with it,” Leonard told Greif. 

George is expected to be out until "November-ish" while recovering from shoulder surgery, so the Clippers figure to lean more on Leonard to start the season. It won't be until George returns that we'll really get a feel for how Rivers plans to manage his two new stars.