For the Clippers, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
As the team enters the 2024-25 season with a new arena and logo, injury issues with their star player, Kawhi Leonard, persist. On Tuesday, Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic reported that Leonard underwent a knee procedure during the offseason and will be “limited to strengthening his knee” as training camp begins next week. This could mean Leonard may miss the Clippers’ season opener against Kevin Durant’s Suns on Oct. 23.
Earlier, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank noted that the swelling in Leonard’s knee responsible for him missing a portion of the previous playoffs—has “significantly gone down” but remains a concern heading into camp. Frank explained that while Leonard is eager to fully participate, the team’s focus is on strengthening his knee to ensure he’s 100 percent ready for a successful season and beyond.
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Leonard is reportedly “super determined” to complete his recovery, but Frank did not commit to a return date, stressing that it will depend on how Leonard’s knee responds throughout each phase of the recovery process.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue echoed Frank’s cautious approach, stating that the team won’t take any “shortcuts” and will only bring Leonard back once he has cleared every recovery milestone.
If Leonard faces more injury setbacks this season, it would be a continuation of the struggles that have defined much of his Clippers tenure. Since joining in 2019, the two-time Finals MVP missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL, played only two games in the 2023 playoffs due to a torn meniscus, and reinjured his knee before the 2024 playoffs after playing 68 games in the 2023-24 season, his healthiest in years.