The Clippers were very angry with the American Federation for having fired Kawhi Leonard from Team USA’s camp, but the reality is that their winger is still struggling with his right knee. According to The Athletic, the two-time Finals MVP underwent yet another “procedure” on his joint this summer. The term is vague, but he won’t be able to practice normally with his teammates.
“Basically, the timing will depend on how your knee responds for each phase. Nobody has a crystal ball.” Clippers president Lawrence Frank responded about a return to normal. “It’s unfortunate, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
According to ESPN, which did not mention surgery, Kawhi Leonard has received a “variety of treatments” to control the inflammation in his knee, and according to Frank, his joint has already gone down “significantly.”
For his part, Tyronn Lue warned that he had no intention of including Kawhi Leonard in training sessions, and that he would stick to the doctors’ verdict.
“We will focus on strengthening and workload”continues Lawrence Frank, who remained evasive about a possible operation undergone during the summer. “I think we learned some lessons. If you think about it, he was desperate to come back and play in the Dallas series, and after a game and a half, the inflammation got out of control, so we don’t want to put ourselves in that situation.”
A refrain already heard many times from the Clippers…
| Kawhi Leonard | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2011-12 | SAN | 64 | 24 | 49.3 | 37.6 | 77.3 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 7.9 |
| 2012-13 | SAN | 58 | 31 | 49.4 | 37.4 | 82.5 | 1.1 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 11.9 |
| 2013-14 | SAN | 66 | 29 | 52.2 | 37.9 | 80.2 | 1.2 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 12.8 |
| 2014-15 | SAN | 64 | 32 | 47.9 | 34.9 | 80.2 | 1.3 | 5.9 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 16.5 |
| 2015-16 | SAN | 72 | 33 | 50.6 | 44.3 | 87.4 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 21.2 |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 74 | 33 | 48.5 | 38.0 | 88.0 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 25.5 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 9 | 23 | 46.8 | 31.4 | 81.6 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 16.2 |
| 2018-19 | TOR | 60 | 34 | 49.6 | 37.1 | 85.4 | 1.3 | 6.0 | 7.3 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 26.6 |
| 2019-20 | LAKE | 57 | 32 | 47.0 | 37.8 | 88.6 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 27.1 |
| 2020-21 | LAKE | 52 | 34 | 51.2 | 39.8 | 88.5 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 24.9 |
| 2022-23 | LAKE | 52 | 34 | 51.2 | 41.6 | 87.1 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 23.8 |
| 2023-24 | LAKE | 68 | 34 | 52.5 | 41.7 | 88.5 | 1.2 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 23.7 |
| Total | 696 | 32 | 49.9 | 39.1 | 86.2 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 20.0 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
