Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined indefinitely until the start of the NBA season as he rehabilitates from inflammation in his right knee, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The Clippers and Leonard are in the midst of the two-time NBA Finals MVP’s rehabilitation, with the goal of allowing him to last on the court throughout the season, and the team plans to improve his fitness. They will be diligent and careful to secure it for the long term.
Leonard, 33, has not played in the Clippers’ entire preseason, which ends Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, and has not participated in any on-court contact activities during training camp.
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“He’s not a part of what we do on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday’s practice. “Company policy was that we would be patient with him, so he worked with our medical staff and did everything he could to rehabilitate and strengthen his knee on his own. And we’re just facing the players’ what we have (available). ”
In Leonard’s absence, James Harden, who has become more comfortable this season after a strong training camp, will be relied on to carry much of the offensive load and be the team’s leader. He joined the franchise from Philadelphia in an early-season trade last year and had to adjust along with Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
With George now in Philadelphia and Westbrook in Denver, Harden will try to be a playmaker alongside the likes of Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell and Terrence Mann.
Harden said Leonard needs to return and spend all the time necessary to stay healthy for the second half of the season.
Leonard began experiencing inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee after a March 31 win over Charlotte. He missed the final eight games of last regular season, playing in just two of six games, a first-round loss to Dallas. postseason.
Leonard and the Clippers have undergone various treatments to reduce inflammation since the end of last season. President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said at the start of training camp that while inflammation has come down significantly since last year’s postseason, the team wants to get its franchise star’s knee back to 100% and is taking every precaution. He said he would take action.
Asked if he would have to deal with future inflammation for the rest of his career, Leonard said it was a possibility, but the medical staff is doing a better job of dealing with it and trying to make sure it doesn’t happen. He said that
Leonard, who missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019.
He played in 52 regular season games in the 2022-23 season. After tearing his right meniscus in the first round of the 2023 playoff series against Phoenix, Leonard played in 68 regular season games last season, his most since 2016-17, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 points. He recorded 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was selected as an All-Star for the sixth time.
The Clippers will face the Phoenix Suns on October 23rd in the first basketball game of the regular season at Intuit Dome.
