In a candid conversation on Showtime's "All The Smoke Show," LaMarcus Aldridge gave his perspective on Kawhi Leonard's departure suggesting that at the end of the day, Leonard just wanted to focus on the game. "When somebody's ready to go, they ready to go," Aldridge revealed, "I ain't going to speak for nobody but he didn't want to do all the other (expletive) that Pop did too. Like the learning. He just wants to hoop. Everybody don't want to learn what's in Africa. Learn the maps and he just wanted to hoop. I ain't saying that's right or wrong but he just didn't want to do that." KENS 5 reported.
The schism can't be discussed without mentioning the tension between Leonard and the Spurs brass including an uncomfortable situation where Tony Parker commented on his injury recovery in direct comparison to Leonard's, a move seen by some, including Leonard, as a lack of public support by the team. Despite these detailed insights, Aldridge notably dodged elaborating on Parker's comments, saying, "Even when you're there, certain (expletive) is never told to everybody, some (expletive) stays behind closed doors," he told KENS 5.
Meanwhile, ex-Spur Stephen Jackson voiced his understanding of Leonard's perspective, as both shared a preference for isolation ball over the more intricate and collective Spurs plays. This insight aligns with the picture of a player like Leonard who reportedly, was less interested in the off-court teachings and more keen just to let his talent speak on the court.
Switching gears from former team drama to current Spurs lineup choices, KENS 5's Casey Viera joined the "Locked On Spurs" podcast to speculate whether Keldon Johnson should keep coming off the bench for the remainder of the season, and through the NBA roster changes, according to the Locked On Spurs podcast.
