Clippers star Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out indefinitely and will not be available for the start of the NBA season, sources told ESPN.
The Los Angeles Clippers star, Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined indefinitely at the start of the NBA season while rehabilitating inflammation in his right knee, sources told ESPN.
Los Clippers y Leonard They are in the middle of a rehabilitation process for the two-time NBA Finals MVP that aims to provide him with sustainability on the court during the season, and the franchise will be diligent and cautious to ensure its long-term fitness.
Leonard He missed the entire preseason Clipperswhich concludes Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, and has not participated in any on-court contact activity during training camp.
“It hasn’t been part of what we’ve been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know the company’s directive has been that we are going to be patient with him. So he’s doing everything he can to rehabilitate and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we (the coaching staff) are dealing with the guys we have available.”
Leonard began experiencing inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee after a win at Charlotte on March 31 of last season. He missed the final eight games of last regular season and was limited to two games in the six-game first-round loss to Dallas in the postseason due to inflammation.
Leonard and the Clippers have undergone a variety of medical treatments to control inflammation since the end of last season. Lawrence Frank president of basketball operationsthe All-Star said at the beginning of camp that he was much more confident that he and the medical staff have better control of the condition. When asked if he might have to deal with inflammation for the rest of his career, Leonard said it’s a possibility, but the medical staff has it better under control and is trying to make sure that’s not the case.
Leonard said his knee felt “good” when he last spoke at halftime of the Clippers’ preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors on October 5.
“(But) it’s not really based on how I feel,” Leonard said. “It’s more about listening to the doctors and seeing what I can do to prevent what I’ve been doing because I’ve been doing a lot, a lot of things that have probably gotten me to where I am now.”
Leonard, who missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee, played in 52 regular season games during the 2022-23 season. And after tearing his right meniscus during the 2023 first-round playoff series against Phoenix, he played in 68 regular-season games last season, his most since the 2016-17 season.
The Clippers face the Phoenix Suns on October 23 at the first basketball game of the regular season in the Intuit Dome.
