When it comes to Kawhi Leonard, you can never be too sure if he’ll be on the court. That hasn’t changed as the Los Angeles Clippers prepare to face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs.
Leonard, of course, missed the final eight games of the regular season with inflammation in his right knee. The fact he’s missed a lot of time over his career isn’t his fault — the injuries are real. It’s just dumb luck.
So, will he play in Game 1 vs. the Mavs on Sunday in LA?
“We’ll see,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told NBA reporters, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Leonard did participate in practice on Tuesday, though only parts of it.
“Not fully, but he’s going to be a part of practice,” Lue explained. “He’s going to do a quarter of the practice.”
The Clippers finished with the No. 4 seed, the Mavs at No. 5. Even with Leonard, the teams are about as evenly matched as you can get. So it makes sense that the Clippers are trying to ramp up their two-time All-Star.
“Just bring him along slowly,” Lue said of Leonard increasing his workload.
Leonard went out in early April after experiencing soreness in his right knee. It was later revealed to be inflammation.
He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the regular season, shooting 52.5% from the field, 41.7% from beyond the arc and 88.5% from the free-throw line.
The Clippers signed him to a three-year, $149 million extension in January.
They now have until June 30 to sign fellow star Paul George. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, George is expected to remain with the Clippers “for several more years.”
That said, George has been repeatedly linked to the Philadelphia 76ers, as our Ashish Mathur relayed here and here.
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