Image Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Kawhi Leonard to make season debut tonight as Clippers upgraded him to questionable

Clippers head coach is hopeful that Leonard will play against the Hawks.

Image Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is ready to take part in NBA for the first time this season. The Clippers upgraded Leonard to questionable on their injury report Friday night. It means, he may make his season debut on Saturday against Atlanta Hawks.

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard plans to make his season debut Saturday versus the Atlanta Hawks at Intuit Dome, sources tell ESPN. Clippers upgraded Leonard to questionable tonight. pic.twitter.com/RbFHSyL8w1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 4, 2025

As per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Leonard is planning to make his season debut on Saturday at Intuit Dome. The six-time NBA All-Star was going through a right knee injury recovery. Clippers star last played a game in the NBA against Dallas in the Western Conference first-round playoff series on April 26.

Leonard missed 12 games last season with right knee inflammation. However, he was picked for the Paris Olympics and also joined the training camp in the summer at Las Vegas. His injury didn’t allow him to participate in the Olympics and the USA replaced him with Derrick White.

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A longer run of injury kept him out of NBA action for eight months

The two-time NBA champion has dealt with injuries regularly in his eight-year-long career and missed more than 300 games in the NBA including playoff games. Meanwhile, Leonard appeared in 68 games for the Clippers last season before sustaining an injury against Mavericks.

“This is just my journey,” Leonard said this past summer. “I can’t lay out the perfect script for me. Last year I tried to play as much as possible, felt great and at a certain period of time I couldn’t go. I tried the best that I could, but it’s just my journey. … I motivate a lot of people, so I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Last month, reports surfaced that Leonard will play five-on-five with the San Diego Clippers. The Clippers’ head coach also said the 33-year-old had been making significant progress over the past few weeks. “He’s been putting in a lot of work to get to this point,” Lue said recently.

Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season, shooting 52.5% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range. Clippers head coach is hopeful that Leonard will play against the Hawks. Meanwhile, he will be assessed in the morning as per sources.

If Leonard makes his season debut, he might not start in the lineups. His time on the court will be limited as per the coach due to a longer run of injury and not playing an NBA game in eight months. The Clippers have a 19-15 record and are the seventh-seeded team in the Western Conference. His inclusion will boost their chances for the playoffs.

Image Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.