Kawhi Leonard has had a tough time staying on the court in recent years. The Los Angeles Clippers star will be limited to strengthening his knee to begin training camp after undergoing an offseason procedure on his knee.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the news, tweeting:
It is unclear when Leonard will be fully cleared. The Clippers season begins on Oct. 23 when the Phoenix Suns visit the brand new Intuit Dome. After losing co-star Paul George in free agency, they will need the six-time All-Star to stay healthy to remain competitive in a stacked Western Conference.
Lawrence Frank shares update on Kawhi Leonard
Lawrence Frank addressed the media on Tuesday and provided an update on Kawhi Leonard. The Los Angeles Clippers President of Basketball Operations stated:
I think the encouraging thing is we’ve seen progress. You know, this was a real tricky thing in terms of the inflammation. We’re kind of searching for answers along the way. And I think with time, we continue to learn more and more what works, what hasn’t. It’s truly unfortunate that he’s had to deal with this, but I think we’re definitely trending in the right direction. [h/t FOX 11 Los Angeles]
Leonard has been plagued by injuries in the latter half of his career. The six-time All-Star has appeared in just 298 out of 554 potential games over the past seven seasons. Since joining the Clippers ahead of the 2019-20 season, he has appeared in 28 of the team’s 43 postseason games.
He played 68 games last season, his most since landing on Zaza Pachulia’s foot in the 2016-17 postseason. Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, while shooting 52.5% from the field, 41.7% from three-point range and 88.5% from the free-throw line.
He was an All-Star and named to the All-NBA Second Team, his first appearance on both teams since 2020-21. His injury issues reappeared in the for the third time in four postseason runs since joining the Clippers, however, as he appeared in just two games and was a shell of himself. It marked his fourth consecutive season ending in injury.
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