Ever the king of controversy when it comes to injuries and load management, Kawhi Leonard is once again back in the news. It is being reported that the Clippers superstar underwent a knee procedure back in May. The treatments were to control inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. As a result, the team will sit Kawhi Leonard out of certain drills in training camp and focus on rebuilding the strength in said knee. Leonard was the discussion of many NBA topics this summer.
Especially after he abruptly decided not to participate in the Olympics after making the Team USA roster. Not to mention, the star small forward only played in two games of the Clippers’ first round series against the eventual Western Conference champion, Dallas Mavericks. However, this latest report seems to be answering a lot of questions. With the departure of Paul George this offseason, Los Angeles is hoping that Kawhi Leonard can channel some of the “Toronto Kawhi,” this coming season. However, the first and main priority will be getting the two-time champion completely healthy.
Kawhi Leonard to Sit Out Certain Drills in Training Camp, Unclear if He Will be Ready for Start of Regular Season
Los Angeles Clippers Hoping he can Return to Full Strength
Clippers President, Lawrence Frank, recently spoke about Kawhi Leonard’s state.
“His right knee, the swelling has significantly gone down,” Lawrence Frank said Tuesday. “It’s almost gone. He wants to participate in everything in training camp. But we’re going to hold him back from drill work and really focus on strengthening, because the goal is to get him 100 percent so he can have a great season. Not just this year, but for many years. We’ll have a detailed plan step by step kind of measure, just having objective measures to go from one phase to the next. But he’s super determined, super excited and can’t wait to get started.”
Frank also had more to say when it came to veteran forward’s situation.
“I think 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.
“With time, we continue to learn more about what works, what hasn’t. It’s truly unfortunate that he’s had to deal with this, but I think we’re definitely trending in the right direction.”
The Los Angeles Clippers know their title window is closing rapidly after Paul George left this offseason. As a result, they are hoping and praying that Kawhi Leonard still has enough gas left in the proverbial basketball tank to lead them to their first franchise title.
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