LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 28: LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard 2 licks his lips before the Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers game on February 28, 2020, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire NBA, Basketball Herren, USA FEB 28 Nuggets at Clippers Icon200228048
Kawhi Leonard continues to miss significant time after dealing with knee issues following his return from an ACL Injury.
Sunday night’s game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz was the seventh consecutive game that Kawhi Leonard sat out due to an injury management strategy involving his right knee. The former Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals, who won the award twice, also missed Monday’s game against Cleveland, and the timing of his return to the court is currently unknown.
During the morning shootaround, Leonard experienced stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee, despite the fact that he had already participated in two of the Clippers’ first three games of this season. After tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Game 4 of the second round against Utah in 2021, Leonard sat out the entirety of the previous season to focus on his rehabilitation from the injury.
Talking about Kawhi Leonard, head coach Ty Lue said, “There’s really not a time frame of when he is going to be back, The biggest thing is just the testing that he has to go through with the medical and the slow progression of just getting better every single day. And so we’re just taking it day by day right now, not really a timetable.”
The Clippers need Kawhi Leonard back if they want to win the championship this season and this is one of the reasons why they are playing it safe with him. The Clippers still have a very deep roster who are capable of defeating any team on any given day.
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