Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss multiple weeks with the new season tipping off, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Last year followed a similar refrain for the Clippers as Leonard missed the final stretch of the regular season and the majority of the playoffs due to inflammation in his right knee. He also withdrew from Team USA ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics after getting picked for the national team.
The six-time All-Star’s knee remained bothersome as the new season approached. He was out for the entire preseason and his status for the Oct. 23 opener against the Phoenix Suns was under some doubt.
Leonard is still an elite talent after a torn ACL cost him all of 2021-22. In his first two years after returning, he averaged 23.8 points on 51.9 percent shooting, including 41.6 on three-pointers.
But the 33-year-old wasn’t on the floor when the Clippers’ 2022 and 2023 postseason runs came to an end. The proactive approach Los Angeles has taken with his load management didn’t preclude him from getting hurt at the most inopportune times.
Now, the organization is staring at a difficult future with its championship window potentially closed.
Losing Paul George to free agency sent L.A. tumbling down the Western Conference hierarchy. One could argue the Clippers’ approach to contract negotiations with George pointed to how they no longer believed the PG/Kawhi partnership was a title-winning formula even if he had returned.
At least fans have the brand new Intuit Dome to distract them from what could be a tough year on the court.
Read the full article here
