For the Clippers, the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.
Because the Los Angeles-based membership ushers in a brand new period within the 2024-25 season with a new arena and logo, it continues to cope with harm considerations to its franchise star, Kawhi Leonard.
On Tuesday, Shams Charania and Regulation Murray of The Athletic reported that Leonard underwent a process on his knee within the offseason and might be “restricted to strengthening his knee” in the beginning of coaching camp subsequent week. As such, the defensive ace might doubtlessly miss the Clippers’ opening evening fixture towards Kevin Durant’s Suns on Oct. 23.
Earlier within the day, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank revealed the swelling in Leonard’s knee, which compelled him to overlook a piece of the playoffs final season, has “considerably gone down” however stays a priority forward of coaching camp.
“It is [the swelling] virtually gone. He needs to take part in every little thing in coaching camp,” Frank said of Leonard. “However we will maintain him again from drill work and actually deal with strengthening as a result of the purpose is to get him one hundred pc so he can have an ideal season. Not simply this yr, however for a few years.”
Frank added that Leonard is “tremendous decided” to clear all of the steps in his restoration and rejoin his teammates on the ground as quickly as attainable. Nonetheless, he remained noncommittal in regards to the star ahead being prepared for the beginning of the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
“The timing [of his return] will rely on how his knee responds to every part. Nobody has a crystal ball,” Frank confused.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue echoed these sentiments, noting that he and his employees do not plan to take any “shortcuts” and will not play Leonard till he “checks all of the containers” in his restoration.
If Leonard’s 2024-25 season can be marred by accidents, it might be a recurring development since he arrived in Los Angeles in 2019. The 2-time Finals MVP missed all the 2021-22 season with a torn ACL and performed simply two video games in the course of the 2023 playoffs with a torn meniscus. He loved his healthiest season in years in 2023-24 by showing in 68 video games, solely to re-injure his knee earlier than the 2024 playoffs.
