Kawhi Leonard is quietly returning to his usual self for the Clippers

If we know anything about Kawhi Leonard, it's that he certainlywon't vocalize that he's "back."

He had this to say two weeks ago after posting his first30-point game since tearing his ACL in the 2021 Western ConferenceFinals:

"That's just how the game played out," Leonard said after that winagainst the Wizards. "Was able to get to my spots, rose over thetop, knocked down some shots. When it's that time of the game whenyou want to be as aggressive as possible, either you're gonna makeshots or pass it to your teammates and they make shots. Just wantto make a play."

Leonard details his psyche for the performance, but he's notexactly trumpeting his totals, so let's do it for him.

Leonard's long, slow reintegration from his injury really tookuntil this past December for the weight to be fully lifted after hedealt with recurring stiffness in his knee, plus an additonal rightankle sprain. He played five games before Thanksgiving and nevercleared 25 minutes.

But Leonard has played over 27 minutes a night since returningfrom the ankle injury on Dec. 5. He's averaging 20.7 points, 7.0rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in that span.