Kawhi Leonard’s return remains unclear as he continues to recover from knee inflammation, raising concerns for the Clippers' early season performance.
Kawhi Leonard will miss the start of the season for the Los Angeles Clippers as he continues to rehab inflammation in his right knee, according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, shared on Thursday that Leonard’s return is uncertain. He hasn’t participated in any preseason games, which wrap up with Thursday’s home game against Sacramento. The two-time Finals MVP also hasn’t been involved in any on-court contact during training camp.
“I never plan to miss games, but it’s just about my body,” Leonard said last month. “I’m a human being and we’re playing basketball.”
Leonard has been focusing on strengthening his knee in hopes of being ready for the postseason. He missed the last eight games of the previous season and played just two games during the first-round playoff loss to Dallas.
“There’s some stuff we can do or try to do to make me last,” Leonard said last month. “We’ll see what happens.”
During the regular season, Leonard appeared in 68 games, his highest total with the Clippers, but was forced to miss the final eight due to knee issues. The 33-year-old first noticed the inflammation in his surgically repaired knee on March 31.
Leonard is out indefinitely, according to Charania and Youngmisuk.
“Kawhi Leonard is expected to be sidelined for the start of the NBA season, starting next week,” Charania reported on ESPN’s “NBA Today.”
“He’s continuing to rehab inflammation in his right knee, going through a rehab process with the Clippers … they’re working together to make sure whenever he’s back on the floor, he’s gonna be able to sustain and stay on the court and that they’re doing their due diligence.”
The Clippers kick off the season on Wednesday, Oct. 23, hosting the Phoenix Suns in the debut game at the Intuit Dome. His future availability will depend on how his rehab progresses, but according to Charania, the team is preparing for Leonard to be unavailable for “a period of time.”
The Clippers will start their season with a game against the Suns on Oct. 23, followed by two sets of back-to-back matchups in their first five games.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 23 | vs. Suns | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Oct. 26 | at Nuggets | 5 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Oct. 27 | at Warriors | 8:30 p.m. | — |
| Oct. 30 | vs. Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| Oct. 31 | vs. Suns | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
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