The LA Clippers have been one of the more head scratch, inducing teams of the 2022-23 NBA season. They were one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship, as they have the deepest, most talented roster in the league and it was believed that they were healthy.
Alas, that may not have been the case. They have struggled a bit out of the gate, going 5-5 as they work around minute restrictions and players sitting out for rest. What has really set them back is Kawhi Leonard’s bizarre injury situation.
Leonard injured his knee during the second round of the 2021 postseason while playing against the Utah Jazz. It ended up being an ACL injury and after undergoing surgery, Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season.
His return was highly anticipated, as the Clippers are legitimate title contenders with him and Paul George healthy and in the lineup. However, Leonard doesn’t seem to be very healthy at all. Hours before the season opener, it was announced that he would be coming off the bench so that the team could monitor his minutes.
LATEST NBA INJURY NEWS & RUMORS: Kawhi Leonard & LA Clippers Updates
It turns out that Leonard was on a strict minutes limit, as he played only 21 minutes in the opener. He sat out Game 2 before playing just about 21 minutes again in Game 3. We haven’t seen him on the court since as he has missed seven consecutive games and counting.
While it is encouraging that Leonard has been able to stay active by doing individual workouts, it is certainly concerning that he is having issues getting on the court nearly 17 months removed the ACL injury. Most troubling is that he remains without a concrete timeline.
Head coach Tyronn Lue was asked if Leonard’s injury is a week-to-week or day-to-day thing and he was unable to provide much insight. While there could be some posturing to not give information to their opponent, this seems genuine that Lue and the Clippers don’t know when Leonard will get back on the court.
“There’s really not a time frame of when he is going to be back. The biggest thing is just the testing that he has to go through with the medical and the slow progression of just getting better every single day. And so we’re just taking it day by day right now, not really a timetable.”
LATEST NBA INJURY NEWS & RUMORS: Kawhi Leonard & LA Clippers Updates
Lue knew navigating the regular season, especially in the early going as players ramp up their activity, would have its obstacles. But even the most conservative of projections didn’t have Leonard sitting out to this degree, especially since he has been progressing well.
“He is progressing well,” Lue said. “We knew coming off an ACL, it wasn’t going to be a straight line. We talked about it before the season. The biggest thing is he’s progressing well. We are going to follow the lead of our medical staff, we got to be smart about the situation, but he is progressing.
“… He is in a good place, he is progressing and he is getting better so that is the most important thing.”
There is no rush from the Clippers’ perspective. Sure, they would love to be healthy and run through opponents in a manner as the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns are. But, they have a bigger goal than that in mind.
LATEST NBA INJURY NEWS & RUMORS: Kawhi Leonard & LA Clippers Updates
If sitting out games now means that Leonard will be healthy in April at the end of the regular season and when the playoffs are ramping up, that is a trade that the Clippers will make 100 out of 100 times.
