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After losing Paul George in free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard to start the season. The Clippers star will be sidelined indefinitely as he rehabilitates from inflammation in his right knee, head coach Ty Lue announced Thursday.
The coach projected optimism about Leonard's long-term outlook, but Gilbert Arenas offered his translation of the team's “indefinite” label.
“We know the NBA word of indefinite is shut the f—k up so we can keep moving our timetable. Don’t ask me every day,” he said on Gil's Arena. “So indefinite can be [whatever]. But this indefinite is not like he’s suspended indefinitely until we conclude… So we don’t want you to keep asking about him every day, so we’re going to say it’s indefinite until we can figure this out.”
“It’s indefinite because if they start out bad, you’re not bringing him back. At this point, you just invested so much money into him; this indefinite means indefinite. I’m going to hold him out the whole year, and we're going to really focus on getting this better.”
Leonard's injury struggles have plagued the Clippers since he joined the team in 2019.
Will Kawhi Leonard play for the Clippers this season?
Leonard has not participated in any part of training camp or appeared in a game this preseason. The six-time All-Star began to experience inflammation in his knee late last season, which forced him to play in only two games during a first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The knee was heading in the right direction before he suffered a setback after participating in USA Basketball Camp in July ahead of the Olympics.
Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee. Injuries have sidelined him during the first round of the last two postseasons.
With Leonard sidelined and George gone, James Harden will serve as Los Angeles' lead offensive creator. Harden averaged 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.5 assists on 43/38/88 shooting splits for the Clippers last season. He served as an offensive initiator and table-setter for Leonard and George.
That is sure to change early this season, as the 35-year-old will shoulder an immense burden in Los Angeles' offense.
The Clippers are under significant pressure to perform this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder own unprotected swap rights on Los Angeles' 2025 first-round pick as part of the 2019 George trade. The Clippers are also moving into a new arena this season, which has received nationwide publicity thanks to owner Steve Ballmer.
