The Los Angeles Clippers have played a quarter of the season already, and they've put together a nice stretch without superstar Kawhi Leonard. Former Clipper Patrick Beverley now says Leonard is not far off from a return.
Leonard, who is recovering from right knee surgery in the offseason and inflammation in the knee, has not been traveling with the team or partaking in any basketball activities.
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard text read by Patrick Beverley
Kawhi Leonard has missed all 20 games for the Clippers so far, but on a recent episode of the Pat Bev show, Patrick Beverley says he spoke with Leonard recently and the two-time NBA Finals MVP could be returning in the near future.
“I'm looking at the Clippers a little bit, they found success early on in this season,” Adam Ferrone, Patrick Beverley's co-host, said to start out the segment. What I've also seen from them, Van Gundy is coaching the hell out of them as an assistant to T. Lue. An interesting way that they've kind of pieced things together, and the team is finding an identity even without Kawhi Leonard.”
“I am not a system player, I am the system,” Beverley responded, referring to James Harden's famous line during his Clippers introductory press conference.
“They got a complete package. They're going to be scary in the playoffs. I talked to Kawhi [Leonard] on the phone yesterday, he's healing up like a f–king machine.”
Leonard and Beverley are close dating back to their time with the Clippers. Beverley has often mentioned that Leonard is the hardest worker he's ever seen.
“The Klaw, that's what I got him as in my phone,” Beverley said. “Klaw [says], ‘the league stinks right now. Views are low.'”
“I agree,” Beverley responded.
“Him: ‘they are waiting on the Klaw.'
“I say, ‘tell my boy Jerm (Jeremy Castleberry), I say lock the f–k in.' He said, ‘I'm gonna get right, I'm on the way. Silent Assassin.' That's my dog.”
In addition to hinting at his return, the two also exchanged a fun back-and-forth about being the better isolation player.
“‘Views are low. They missing Kawhi.' I love it. And then I hit him with the, ‘Hey man, you know I'm the isolation king over here.'
“To which Leonard responded, according to Beverley, “‘Yeah, that's what's up. I was the Isolation King in the best league in the world for three years in a row. Ha, ha, ha, ha.' Shout out to K -Man. Godspeed. Godspeed.”
Kawhi Leonard has been excellent when available, especially after his ACL injury in the 2021 postseason. In his first year back from the left ACL tear, Leonard played 52 regular season games, averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 51.2 percent shooting from the field and 41.6 percent from three.
An ankle sprain cost him a month of action, but he was able to close the season out strong until he suffered a torn left meniscus in Game 1 of the Clippers' first round series against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
In the 2023-24 season, Leonard was named to the All-NBA Second Team, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 68 regular season games on 52.5 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from three.
Unfortunately, Leonard dealt with abnormal and stubborn inflammation in his right knee to start April, which rendered him unable to perform at his capabilities during the Clippers' first round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
With a quarter of the season gone, the Clippers are hopeful Leonard can return later in the season and help them into the postseason. Entering Thanksgiving, the Clippers held the sixth best record in the Western Conference at 12-8.
This isn't any kind of reporting, but if Leonard is able to return sometime in January, it would give him a week off for the All-Star break, before the stretch run heading into the NBA playoffs.
Until he is able to return, however, the Clippers will continue leaning heavily on James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell.
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