Kawhi Leonard’s return for this season opener is now in doubt

It seems like Kawhi Leonard’s travesty to finally recover from his right knee injury still has no end date. Even though he was widely expected to be fully healed by the Clippers’ campaign opener at the Inuit Dome on October 23, recent information suggests he won’t even be ready for that special night. 

This means that the forward is out for the remainder of the preseason, as his own coach Ty Lee was the first to confirm that he wasn’t ready to participate in the club’s last tune up contest against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Leonard missed out all three games that prepared them for the upcoming campaign.

“Continue to keep rehabbing,” Lue told the press when asked about the plan for Leonard’s recovery this week. “Keep getting better. Keep checking the boxes.” For now, Kawhi hasn’t participated in contact drills during training camp and have been extra cautious about his involvement in regular practices.

Tyronn Lue says Kawhi Leonard will not play today or Thursday, so he’s out for the whole Clippers’ preseason.

What’s he gonna do this week?

“Continue to keep rehabbing, keep getting better, and keep checking the boxes.” pic.twitter.com/HdNEildjUo

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 15, 2024

“… We’re just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we’ll see what they’re talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs],” he then insisted once the game was over,” the player said last week, suggesting he was gradually strengthening his knee.

The 33-year-old participated in 68 regular-season matches this last season, which was the most he’s played for in 7 years, but missed his team’s final eight games, including some playoff action. This upcoming year, the two-time Finals MVP wants to play as many games as possible.

“This is what I work for,” he said last weekend. “I strive to get a championship and I’m not out there to try to [solely] play 82 games. I’m trying to win, even though [playing as much as I can] that’s obligated for me. I try to. But it hasn’t worked out [the last two postseasons] so we’ll see.”

Even so, Leonard later revealed how his trying to prevent the inflammation from returning. “It’s not really based on how I’m feeling,” said Kawhi. “It’s more of just listening to the doctors and seeing what I can do to prevent what I have been doing because I’ve been doing a lot — a lot of stuff that probably has me where I am now.”

League Commissioner Adam Silver Praises Clippers’ New Intuit Dome As It Prepares For Its’ First NBA Match

The executive praised the fact that the Los Angeles franchise finally completed the Intuit Dome, which is preparing to host the team starting this NBA campaign. The building already offered a Bruno Mars concert back on August 15, but will have its’ first basketball match during a preseason contest against the Mavericks on October 14.

“Steve Ballmer and his folks talked about the opening of the Intuit Dome, which we’re very excited about,” Adam Silver shared last week. “They’re opening the second day of the season against the Phoenix Suns. I was last out there when the building was roughly 80 percent done.”

The commissioner then expanded about the fact that the arena will enjoy a record number of bathrooms, as well as one of the most innovative experiences with state of the art technology. Silver heard great things about the inaugural concert celebrated last month.

“I’ve read rave reviews about the concerts that have opened the building,” Adam expressed. “Not surprising, the new technology that Steve has installed in his arena. And I hear the most bathrooms in the history of any arena, that will be helpful as I get older.”