Kawhi Leonard Addresses Teams Guarding Clippers Differently

The Los Angeles Clippers are a different team than they were before the trade deadline. James Harden and Ivica Zubac are gone. Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin are in. The roster is younger and the identity is shifting.

Now, the question everyone has been asking since February is how quickly this new group can find its footing with the playoffs approaching. At 39-38, they're right on the bubble with a game against Sacramento up next.

Kawhi Leonard has been watching how defenses respond to the new-look group. His assessment was measured and honest when asked about if teams are guarding them differently after Thursday night's loss to the Spurs. 

"Not really," Leonard said. "I mean, you see it at different times. It depends who's on the floor. They're going to guard different types of ways depending on the defenders they have on their team, the coaching, their strategy. So you get a mix of everything ... It just depends on the team and the players they have."

By saying this, Leonard is basically stating that there's no unified code yet from opponents. Different teams are trying different things, and the Clippers are seeing a variety of looks depending on the opponent.

For a roster that's only been together for roughly two months, that's not a bad place to be. It means nothing has been scouted and solved to the point where opponents have a reliable blueprint.

This is basically the answer you want to hear. With Garland running point and Leonard as the primary wing scorer, defenses face decisions they didn't have to make against the Harden-heavy version of this team. Harden demanded a specific approach, loading up on his pull-up threes and forcing him left.

Garland is a different animal who gets to his spots differently and creates a different kind of problem. Mathurin adds another layer as a streaky scorer with a chip on his shoulder who can be a real problem in a featured role.

What matters most right now isn't how opponents are guarding them. It's how much the Clippers are learning about themselves.

Every game these players share the floor together is data on what works in the half court, which lineups generate the best defensive coverage, and how Garland and Leonard interact on pick-and-roll actions.

Leonard's calm read of the situation tells you everything about how he approaches these moments. He's not concerned about what defenses are doing.

Three of the Clippers' final five games are at home, and if Garland is healthy and Mathurin keeps producing off the bench, LA has the pieces to be dangerous in the postseason. Right now though, they're still building something, and the process is ongoing.