Last week, news broke that Kawhi Leonard had undergone another offseason knee procedure, putting his availability for the start of the upcoming NBA season in doubt.
It turns out he plans to be available for the Los Angeles Clippers’ season opener. But it’s not certain. Leonard shed some light on the situation during media day on Monday.
“Yes, that’s the plan,” Leonard told reporters about playing on opening night. “I never plan to miss games. It’s just about my body. I’m human. And we play basketball. So it all depends on what we want and what we think of and how my body feels.
“Right now I think it’s positive to think I’ll play. But we’ll take it day by day.”
So it is not a certainty, as is usually the case when it comes to Leonard’s health. But it’s clearer than last week’s Clippers update that the team was optimistic about his progress in response to a report that Leonard underwent an unspecified “knee procedure” this offseason. The Clippers did not provide a timeline last week.
Leonard underwent the procedure after experiencing persistent inflammation in his right knee that has required surgery in the past to repair a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. Leonard played 68 games last season, the most he has played with the San Antonio Spurs since the 2016-17 season.
But the inflammation sidelined him for the final eight games of the regular season and in four of the six playoff games in a 4-2 series loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the postseason.
Leonard then accepted an invitation to play for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. But Team USA replaced him with Derrick White prior to the Games, citing Leonard’s “interest in spending the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than competing in the Paris Olympics.”
Leonard confirmed Monday that his training camp activities would be limited out of an abundance of caution with the goal of limiting the risk to his health for a potential postseason run.
Kawhi Leonard said he is taking things physically one day at a time and the Clippers are being cautious about when he will be ready to play. pic.twitter.com/7mgRGbhiDc
— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) September 30, 2024
“Everything has been going great for the past month,” Leonard said. “But we’ve been very cautious for past reasons. I haven’t been able to finish a couple of playoff runs. So make sure I can stay healthy in those big moments.”
Making the postseason could prove more difficult for the Clippers in 2025. Nine-time All-Star Paul George left in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers. If healthy, Leonard will be featured in a lineup alongside offseason acquisition Derrick Jones Jr. in place of George and returning former All-Star James Harden.
