Injury Update: Kawhi Leonard Says He Feels 'A Lot Better'

LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is eager to return from his ACL injury

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

As the LA Clippers fight to maintain playoff positioning in a tightly contested Western Conference, one of the greatest players of all-time remains seated on their bench. Kawhi Leonard, who is set to be celebrated at halftime of the NBA All-Star game for being selected to the 75th Anniversary Team, underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in the offseason. While many initially believed that Kawhi could be out the entire 2021-22 NBA season, there have been some optimistic developments since then.

On media day, Kawhi Leonard himself indicated his desire to potentially return this season. When asked about why he decided to sign a long-term deal with the Clippers, rather than a 1+1, Kawhi said that "I wanted to secure some money, and I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would have took the one and one, I probably would have not played just to be cautious, and opted out and took a five-year."

Several positive developments have ensued since that initial comment from Kawhi, including Farbod Esnaashari's report that team sources indicated to him that those on the team were impressed with Kawhi's progress, and "cautiously optimistic" about a potential return this season. Another one of these positive updates came from Jerry West at the end of December, who said on the TK Show Podcast that "I've never seen a harder working person in my life. If you look at him now, he looks great. Doing things that I didn't expect he could do. But I'm not a doctor, and certainly don't know what the ongoing problems for not being in tip-top shape, ready to play a much quicker and agile game are, but just watching him, my goodness, if you watch him walk around, you would never know that he had that operation."

While injury updates on Kawhi Leonard's ACL rehab have been relatively quiet since Jerry West's podcast appearance, Kawhi said himself on Sunday that he is feeling much better. In a video posted to the NBA's official Twitter account, Kawhi could be heard saying, "I'm feeling a lot better. I’m tryna get back out there, man."

Kawhi Leonard: “Ya, I feel a lot better. I’m tryna get back out there, man.” pic.twitter.com/7JlnKPQsS5

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 20, 2022

While not an official medical update, this comment from Kawhi is yet another positive indication that his rehab is progressing well. It is yet to be seen whether that means a return is possible this season or not; however, all things considered, there has yet to be a less than encouraging update on the status of Kawhi Leonard.

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