Due to a setback with his surgically repaired knee, Kawhi Leonard has only participated in two games for the Los Angeles Clippers this season.
The two-time NBA champion made his comeback in October after suffering an ACL injury that forced him to miss the whole 2021–2022 season. But after helping his club to a 2-0 start with his two appearances, he has since been sidelined due to what the team has described as right knee discomfort.
After not playing since October 23, Kawhi Leonard missed the following 10 Clippers contests. With just infrequent updates over the past three weeks, the team has remained rather silent regarding the superstar’s health.
Prior to Saturday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets, Tyronn Lue, head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, talked with the media on Friday. He spoke on Kawhi Leonard’s development.
The superstar guard participated in a 5-on-5 practice, according to Lue, but a return date has not yet been set.
According to Lue, via ESPN, “He played 5 on 5 with some of our people, some of the players, and some of the coaches. Still have a ways to go, but that was the first encouraging indicator of him playing 5-on-5 on the floor.“
The Clippers plan to be cautious until Kawhi Leonard is totally healthy
Since his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard has experienced injuries and difficulty managing his workload. Since 2017, he has not participated in 70 games in a season. So it wasn’t shocking to sit him down when he complained of stiffness.
Kawhi Leonard spent his first two games of the season on the bench with the Clippers, averaging 21 minutes per game.
In response to a question regarding when Leonard can resume playing, Lue stated, “It’s going to take a couple more [exercise] opportunities to get it in.” After we see a doctor, “sort of review him to see how he’s feeling and just kind of see if we check all the boxes.”
The Clippers are making progress and attempting to continue a top-4 drive in the Western Conference while without one of their two superstars.
With a 2-4 start, they have managed to emerge from the early-season hole. Since then, they have won five of their past six games and are presently sitting in sixth place with a 7-5 record.
With a game average of 25.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, Paul George has been the team’s best player.
The Los Angeles Clippers have just defeated their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for the second time in a row (2-0), and for the ninth time overall under head coach Tyronn Lue.
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