Led by Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers are expecting to surprise a lot of people this season. They're not expected to win an NBA championship without superstar Kawhi Leonard. Well, some good news regarding the two-time NBA Finals MVP was recently released.

In the minutes leading up to the NBA on TNT broadcast of the Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers game on Tuesday night, Turner Sports' sideline reporter Allie LaForce detailed a pregame conversation she had with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. In the conversation, Lue reportedly expressed optimism about Leonard's status.

“The Clippers are still really hopeful that they'll get Kawhi Leonard back before the end of the season,” Lue said, via LaForce. “In fact Ty Lue told us right before the game he was really encouraged that he was doing some explosive box jumping just a couple of days ago. He's been shooting for weeks and has been actively involved in the coaches meetings.”

Additionally, Clippers forward Marcus Morris, who has been out since the second game of the season, is reportedly inching towards a return. According to LaForce, Morris could return to the lineup within a week.

“He'll be back hopefully in the next week or two,” Lue said, via Allie LaForce.

Here's Kawhi Leonard about a week into the season doing some light shooting before Clippers practice.

Marcus Morris had been playing five-on-five with some of his teammates and coaches. Tyronn Lue said he's been doing a lot more weight room work of late, trying to strengthen and condition his knee.

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“He's been on the court working, being in the weight room, conditioning, things like that, hasn't played any five on five in the last couple days, but he played prior to, so we'll see.”

There hasn't been much of an update on Kawhi Leonard, as he as well as the team have preferred to remain quiet and private about his rehab. The star forward suffered a partially torn ACL in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz. Leonard underwent surgery to repair the ligament in July.

It's still unclear what type of ACL surgery Leonard underwent, which would help provide a timetable for his return. But there's an optimism surrounding some of the players that Leonard could be back at some point later this season. It's still early in his recovery to pinpoint how accurate, if at all, that optimism is.

The Clippers have accumulated a 6-4 record through the first 10 games of the season. They started the season out 1-4, but quickly recovered to win five consecutive games.