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 issues 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 will likely be “restricted to strengthening his knee” at first of coaching camp subsequent week. As such, the defensive ace may probably miss the Clippers’ opening evening fixture in opposition to 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 pressured him to overlook a bit 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 all the pieces in coaching camp,” Frank said of Leonard. “However we’ll maintain him again from drill work and actually concentrate on strengthening as a result of the purpose is to get him 100% so he can have a terrific season. Not simply this 12 months, 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. Nevertheless, he remained noncommittal concerning the star ahead being prepared for the beginning of the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
“The timing [of his return] will rely upon how his knee responds to every section. Nobody has a crystal ball,” Frank harassed.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue echoed these sentiments, noting that he and his workers do not plan to take any “shortcuts” and will not play Leonard till he “checks all of the packing containers” in his restoration.
If Leonard’s 2024-25 season can be marred by accidents, it could 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 throughout 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.
