The Los Angeles Clippers ushered into a new era this season. For the first time in decades, they own an exclusive arena. In addition, the Intuit Dome has been an enormous strength for the Clippers this season. However, away from their multi-billion dollar palace, things have been clunky. Amidst their current win spree, they finally found the blueprint to get past their struggles.

Kawhi Leonard has been an active member of the Clippers during their current stretch of winning six of their last seven games. They have recorded an overtime win and even overthrown some strong opponents. But for the Klaw, the best part about their current stretch is getting past their difficulties on the road.

“I enjoyed the road wins that we got. That’s what we’ve been struggling in I feel like on our road trips so we was able to get two out of three and you know that’s what’s been impressive for me,” the Clippers’ star forward said.

Aside from a seven-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Clippers claimed two road wins against the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks. The successful road trip to the East reaffirmed the roster’s potential. Before those, the Clippers were just 13-19 on the road. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard seemed to play with greater confidence in these games.

He scored 54 points across the two games he played on the road. As the two-time Defensive Player of The Year generates some continuity, his confidence progresses in each passing game. At first, Leonard wasn’t exerting aggression since he had only just recovered from knee inflammation. The hesitation, though, is beginning to fade.

“I mean he’s trusting him more. I think he’s feeling more comfortable to be able to pick and choose his spots where he wants to catch the basketball and he’s confident in those areas,” Clippers head coach Ty Lue said about Leonard. As he builds assertiveness, Lue’s next mission is building chemistry in the Clippers’ second unit.

The likes of Ben Simmons and Bogdanovic are both new entrants for the Clippers. Likewise, getting them up to pace and building team chemistry with the players is essential as Lue wants his second unit to “play with a great pace, great flow”.

Teammates are key for a flourishing Kawhi Leonard

Everything continues to fall into place for the Los Angeles Clippers at just the right time. Not having Leonard for the season allowed for the revival of James Harden. Moreover, the Clippers also gained reliable contributors, such as Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell, who continue to produce the goods for the Clippers.

This, though, also helps Kawhi Leonard immensely. Yes, he gets the advantage of having more space and easily navigating to his spots. However, the key benefit to having a range of offensive outlets is the Klaw doesn’t have to be in full gear just yet. Before, the Clippers needed Leonard to go ballistic if they hoped to compete. Now, he can ease into the postseason. And that’s all thanks to his teammates.

“Just playing more minutes and playing more basketball. I think like I said these games we pretty much need to win these games and obviously you know James been playing at a great level, Zu they are playing great individual basketball being efficient. And you know Bogy being great as well, making threes it’s just been a collective group,” he said about his gradual improvements.

The butterfly effect – Kawhi Leonard gets the opportunity to adapt as he plays more games. Having spent the entire summer rehabilitating, that’s the only way for him to get going. So with his teammates sharing duties, he is free to get up to speed.

Although not now, the Clippers will hope to have a full-fledged version of Kawhi Leonard during the postseason. That’s where his health will truly matter. Given how he can effectively turn games on his own accord, the six-time All-Star is in the process of becoming more lethal with the amount of games he plays.

It’s just that he can do so with peace and patience now that Harden, Zubac, and the others are yielding consistent output for the Clippers. The job is still a long way from being finished. But now that health is finally restored for the Clippers, this is where their preparations for the bright lights begin.