Kawhi Leonard to Skip Clippers Training Camp Drills

Alright, hoop heads, let’s dive into the latest Kawhi Leonard saga with the Clippers. This one’s got everything: injuries, comebacks, and a whole lot of uncertainty.

Kawhi’s Knee Drama Continues

So, here’s the deal: Kawhi Leonard, our favorite silent assassin, is gonna sit out drills during next week’s Clippers training camp. Why? Well, he’s been getting treatments to tame the inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee since last season ended. The good news? The swelling’s gone down. The bad news? He’s still not ready to hit the court just yet. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Kris Rhim spilled the beans on this one.

Clippers’ prez Lawrence Frank mentioned on Tuesday that the swelling has decreased “significantly.” But hold up, he didn’t confirm if Kawhi will be ready to ball out when the regular season tips off.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard underwent a procedure on his knee in the offseason, sources tell me and @LawMurrayTheNU. The franchise said today Leonard will be limited to strengthening his knee to start Clippers training camp, but team officials are optimistic about his progress.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)

Training Camp Without Kawhi?

Coach Ty Lue and the Clippers’ medical staff are playing it safe. No team practices for Kawhi just yet. Instead, he’s focusing on strength training to get that knee back in shape. “We’re just really going to focus on strengthening and loading,” Frank said. Remember how Kawhi tried to come back in the Dallas series and his knee flared up? Yeah, they don’t want a repeat of that mess.

In my opinion, it’s smart to take it slow. Rushing him back could spell disaster for the Clippers’ season. And let’s be real, they need him at 100% if they wanna make any noise in the playoffs.

The Never-Ending Knee Saga

Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season due to that pesky knee inflammation. He made a brief comeback in the playoffs against the Mavericks but had to sit out the rest. When asked about any procedures or treatments Kawhi might have undergone before USA Basketball camp, Frank played it coy, saying he wouldn’t get into specifics.

“The encouraging thing is we’ve seen progress,” Frank said. “This was a real tricky thing in terms of the inflammation. We’re kind of searching for answers along the way.”

Looking Ahead

Frank added that Kawhi is “encouraged now” with where his knee is at. “We got the knee in a really, really good place,” he said. “[He came] back for Dallas [in the playoffs] and it has been manageable since. But we really, really spent the offseason trying to get this 100% and I think we’re getting closer and closer.”

Kawhi’s knee issues have been a thorn in the Clippers’ side since he joined the team in 2019. According to Basketball-Reference, he’s only played over 60 games in just one season with the Clips. Oh, and let’s not forget he missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL. Last season, the Clippers went 9-9 in games without him. Not exactly championship material, right?

So, what do you think? Will Kawhi be ready to dominate this season, or are we looking at another year of “what ifs”? Drop your thoughts below!