Kawhi Leonard’s right knee inflammation, which sidelined him during the playoffs last season and forced him to leave Team USA in July, is still an issue, told NBC News. Leonard will not start the upcoming NBA season as he continues to recover, and his return remains indefinite.
The news may not be shocking to fans, as Leonard has not played since April 26, during Game 3 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Shams Charania and ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk were the first to report Leonard’s ongoing recovery.
After the season, Leonard underwent a procedure on his right knee. He expressed optimism during USA Basketball training camp in July, saying the procedure had brought the knee to a “neutral place.” However, Team USA and Coach Steve Kerr remained concerned, leading to Leonard being sent home. Tyronn Lue, the Clippers head coach and assistant coach for USA Basketball, revealed that Leonard experienced a setback between the end of training camp and the Clippers’ preseason start in Hawaii.
“He felt good, he looked good, the swelling was down, everything was going in the right direction. So he had worked hard to get to that point,” Lue explained before the Clippers’ final preseason game. “And then, once you start playing, you never know what’s going to happen. But he was in position, we thought, in the right position to go forward, and like you said, it was a setback. So that was unfortunate.”
While Lue confirmed that Leonard hasn’t had any further setbacks since then and is improving, the star forward has not progressed enough to return to the court. “He’s feeling good. He’s progressing. He’s going in the right direction, doing all the right things,” Lue said. “So soon he will be on the court, but not yet.”
Despite Leonard’s absence, Lue dismissed concerns that he might miss the entire season. However, the Clippers are facing the challenge of competing in a tough Western Conference without their best player for the start of the season. In such a tightly contested conference, missing Leonard for even a few weeks could be the difference between securing a playoff spot or facing an uphill battle through the play-in tournament. The team will rely heavily on James Harden and its solid supporting cast to stay competitive until Leonard returns.