Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers saw their season come to an end on Wednesday when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the nine vs. ten play-in game. 

The Clippers started the season 6-21, and many wondered if the team might try and trade some veteran pieces to recoup draft capital that they have dealt away in past years, most notably in acquiring Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The team turned things around beginning on December 20, winning 16 of 19 games to get their record to 22-24. 

Despite their run and a push for a play-in spot, they still reshaped the team, trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darus Garland and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathrin and Isaiah Jackson. 

There was inconsistency in the second half of the season, but they were good enough to finish ninth in the West to get a home play-in game. 

After the loss to the Warriors, Kawhi spoke with the media and was asked about his role as a leader throughout a season filled with challenges. 

"It was a situation I haven't been in before. Earlier in the season, losing a lot of games in a row and just trying to pick guys head's up and make them want to come in and work every day, and still have a competitive spirit. We all did a good job of trying to fight and at least get to this point. We could've let it go and not been in the play-in, but we kept fighting all year, and we made some strides, but obviously it wasn't good enough," he said. 

Kawhi had one of his best seasons ever statistically, averaging a career high 27.9 points while shooting 50% from the field and 38% from three. He also contributed 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. 

Perhaps most importantly for Kawhi, he played 65 games, his second-highest total since 2017. 

The Clippers went through a lot on the court, and off the court. During the offseason, Leonard and the Clippers were accused of agreeing to a "no-show" endorsement deal with Aspiration which had not required any action on Leonard's part. The deal was reportedly a way for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to pay Leonard under the table in an effort to cicumvent the NBA salary cap. 

Asked how much that weighed on him this season, Kawhi replied, "I'm not sure. I never thought about it other than questions asked."

Asked about a potential resolution, he said, "I think that we're going to be in the clear. There's no amount of stress."