NBA

LA Clippers Give A New Update On When Kawhi Leonard May Return

Kawhi Leonard on coming off bench: "This is how I started my career"

It’s been an uphill battle for Kawhi Leonard to return the court. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with an ACL injury and has only appeared in two games this season. Leonard played just over 20 minutes in the two games he’s played in. Today, the Clippers had some good news for the media and fans about the two-time NBA champion. 

He has not played in a game since 10/23, but he was able to go through a 5-5 workout in practice this morning. That’s a step in the right direction. It’s seems as if he’s getting closer to a return. They certainly do not want to rush him getting back out on the court as the Clippers have a 7-5 record and are second in the Pacific Division.

NBA betting sites have the Clippers at (+800) to win the Finals.

Kawhi Leonard could be nearing a return to the court

There’s no set date on when Leonard will make his official return, but he’s making progress towards it.

“Kawhi Leonard went through 5-on-5 this morning before the team’s practice and is progressing. He will not play tomorrow against the Nets but Ty Lue says Kawhi is getting closer to a return. Lue made it sound like Kawhi still has a little bit more to go before returning.” – Ohm Youngmisuk

Kawhi is a force to be reckoned with when he’s healthy. For his career he average’s (19.2) points, (6.4)rebounds, and (2.9) assists per game. It’s hard to forget how Leonard carried the Raptors on his back on their path to winning the 2019 NBA Finals.

Paul George has been the leader for the Clippers on offense this season as he averages (25.4) points per game. He’s lead the team in scoring in eight of heir twelve games this season. Kawhi will make the team that much better when he returns and the Clippers will try and get by as long as they can without him. One thing that has been a strength of the Clippers this year is their depth in secondary scoring. They have seven players on the team who average double-digit points per game.