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Kawhi Leonard continues to battle knee problems, and now his status for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season is clear. The Los Angeles Clippers star will be out for an indefinite period of time to begin the new season and will miss the team's opening night game on Oct. 23 against the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk.
Missing games has become a staple for Leonard in recent years, as he has missed at least 14 games in each of the last two seasons. Not to mention, he missed all of the 2021-22 season with his ACL injury. Just this summer, Leonard stepped away from participating in the Olympics with Team USA because of ongoing swelling and problems with his right knee. It is worth noting that this is the same knee that Leonard had ACL surgery on.
Oddly enough, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said that Leonard would be ready for the team's training camp over the summer. Ultimately, that was not the case.
Leonard has not played for LA in the preseason, and he underwent a procedure on his right knee this offseason to address ongoing swelling and issues that he has been dealing with. The Clippers star missed the team's final eight games of the 2023-24 regular season, and he only played in two of the six playoff games LA had against the Dallas Mavericks, who won this first-round series 4-2.
The most notable piece of information regarding Leonard is that he has not gone through any contact practice whatsoever in the preseason, and all of his behind-the-scenes work has been focused on strengthening his right knee. Still, the Clippers continue to be cryptic with their updates regarding Leonard, as the All-Star has seemed to be day-to-day since before the conclusion of last season.
With Kawhi out indefinitely and the team operating on the side of caution, the big question surrounding him is now focused on when he will eventually make his 2024-25 season debut. It is unlikely that Leonard will be ready to return to the court until the back half of November at the earliest due to the ongoing knee problems he is experiencing.
Kawhi Leonard talks knee injury
Very few details have been given about the knee injury Leonard is dealing with. While the Clippers continue to downplay the severity of the situation, the bottom line is that their best player continues to be sidelined because of what the organization is labeling as nagging inflammation in his right knee, which they are also saying is not related to his ACL injury.
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At Clippers media day, Leonard spoke about his knee troubles, continuing to downplay the issue at hand.
“We're taking it day by day,” Leonard said, via ClutchPoints' Clippers reporter Tomer Azarly. “Everything's been going great for the past month, but we're being very cautious for [certain] reasons. In the past, I haven't been able to finish some playoff runs, so making sure I stay healthy for those important moments.”
Load management is a phrase that has revolved around Leonard over the last few seasons, and it seems like the Clippers are once again going to manage his minutes early on in the 2024-25 season. Then again, there are no minutes to manage if Leonard isn't even playing.
Ongoing swelling and pain is certainly a concern for Kawhi and his future with the Clippers. The 33-year-old is not getting any younger, and a lot more pressure now falls on his shoulders in the wake of Paul George's departure in the offseason. With Leonard out to begin the season, James Harden will be the featured star for the Clippers, a team that underwent massive changes this offseason.
The Clippers will lean on a starting lineup consisting of Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac without Leonard to begin the new year.
At this time, LA has not revealed their plan and course of action for when Leonard will be ready to go this season.
ClutchPoints' Clippers reporter Tomer Azarly contributed to this story.
