Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard To Miss Start Of Season With Ongoing Knee Issue

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard just can’t catch a break. At least, not the good kind. Yet again, Leonard will miss part of the NBA season (as in, the start) and be out indefinitely because of the issue with his right knee, per Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“The Clippers and Leonard are in the midst of a rehab process for the two-time NBA Finals MVP that is aimed to bring sustainability for him on the court through the season, and the franchise will be diligent and cautious to ensure his fitness long-term,” Charania and Youngmisuk wrote.

Leonard has not been practicing with the team. The issue is said to be inflammation.

“He has not been a part of what we’ve been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “I know the company line has been that we’re going to be patient with him, so he’s doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we’re just dealing with the guys that we have [available].”

Leonard recently suggested that he’ll have to deal with the issue for the rest of his career.

The chronic inflammation is reportedly a result of multiple surgeries. He played in just two playoff games in 2023 due to a torn right meniscus and missed the entire 2021-22 season after tearing his right ACL during the 2021 playoffs. 

One of the top two-way players in the league when healthy, Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 2023-24 for the Clippers in 68 games while shooting 52.5% from the field, 41.7% from beyond the arc and 88.5% from the free-throw line. He made the All-Star team and the All-NBA second team. 

The Clippers won 51 games in the regular season but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs in six games. Leonard only played in Games 2 and 3. 

(Ashish Mathur contributed to this report.)