LOS ANGELES, CA – The day-to-day tag on Kawhi Leonard has quietly turned into a week-long absence for the Los Angeles Clippers star, but is it time to worry?
Ahead of Friday night's showdown between the Clippers and Ja Morant's Memphis Grizzlies, Leonard is being listed as questionable with a hip contusion.
Speaking before practice on Thursday morning, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said that Kawhi Leonard would essentially be a limited participant in the practice. When pressed further on what Leonard could do as far as taking contact or participating in five-on-fives, Lue said, “I'm not sure yet.”
That's certainly not the update most were hoping for, especially considering Leonard's “day-to-day” absence has now stretched out to over a week.
Kawhi Leonard suffered the injury after taking a knee from Grant Williams and crashing down to the court late in the Clippers' victory over the Dallas Mavericks last week. Leonard told reporters in Dallas that he was good and wouldn't elaborate on any details.
He's been considered day-to-day and has been listed as questionable in all three Clippers games since the injury, but ultimately ended up not playing in any of them.
“Yeah, he's progressing,” head coach Tyronn Lue told members of the media ahead of the game against the Boston Celtics. “It's feeling better, but just not ready yet.”
In a conversation before the Celtics game on Saturday, Kawhi Leonard told ClutchPoints he's good and doesn't expect to be out much longer.
In the meantime, the Memphis Grizzlies got Ja Morant back from his 25-game suspension and have not lost a game since. The Grizzlies, who sit at 10-19 on the year, have won four straight games since Ja Morant's return to the lineup.
“Happy that he’s back,” Tyronn Lue said of Ja Morant Thursday. “Happy that he’s doing well, and it’s good for the game of basketball to have Ja back, so it’s good to see.”
In four games for the Grizzlies this season, Ja Morant is averaging career-highs across the board at 28.8 points, 8.5 assists, and one block per game on a career-high 50.6 percent shooting from the field.
“We understand we can’t give him any gaps or any seams because he can attack and get downhill and so it’s got to be collectively, it can’t be just one person trying to guard him and we got to make sure we’re giving him different looks and different coverages,” Lue said of the Grizzlies star. “Like I said since he’s been back they’ve been playing really good basketball and having their best player back, their leader back, and it’s what Taylor’s been waiting for just trying to hold the fort down until he gets back and you see how dynamic they are once Ja, once he’s come back.”
The Clippers and Grizzlies will tip off their matchup on Friday, December 29th at 7:30PM PST.
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