LA Clippers Reveal Important Injury Update on Kawhi Leonard

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will not be a full participant to begin training camp.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) after game against the Phoenix Suns during game the 2023 NBA playoffs. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank spoke with media members at Intuit Dome on Tuesday. Along with other topics, Frank addressed the injury status of star forward Kawhi Leonard, who for the fourth-straight season was sidelined due to injury when the Clippers were eliminated.

“His right knee the swelling has significantly gone down, it’s almost gone,” Frank said of Leonard. “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 at 100 percent so he can have a great season, not just this season but for many years.”

The Clippers continued to call Leonard’s injury “knee swelling/inflammation” last season. That wording remained consistent with what Frank described on Tuesday, but also raised questions about how the team reacted to USA Basketball’s removal of the Leonard from their Paris Olympics roster.

Speaking with reporters in Las Vegas shortly after Leonard was removed from Team USA, Frank stated the decision was entirely USA Basketball’s, and one the Clippers disagreed with.

Lawrence Frank said it was Team USA’s decision for Kawhi Leonard to not compete in the Olympics.

Frank was very disappointed in the decision, and thought Kawhi looked great. pic.twitter.com/8FT9feL73i

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 15, 2024

When asked about this on Tuesday, Frank said, “Obviously, he was cleared medically. I watched him prepare for it, I was there at the first two practices. I was really disappointed that they didn’t give him a longer runway.”

Frank added, “Many players deal with swelling, so there’s a point of manageable swelling and there’s a point where if it gets worse, that’s when it could have further risk of injury. With all of that being said, the swelling didn’t subside the way that we thought from a timing standpoint. It just took a little bit longer for the swelling to get to the point where it’s at now. I’m encouraged that it’s happened now and now we want to keep it where it stays that way for the entire year.”

Kawhi Leonard pull-up three at USA Basketball camp.

🎥: @usabasketball pic.twitter.com/NuRZvfKquE

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 6, 2024

The Clippers have a step-by-step plan for Leonard to strengthen his knee before getting into drill work, but they do not know how long that will take.

When asked if Leonard will be ready for the season opener, Frank said, “I think the timing is all going to depend on how his knee responds to each phase. No one has a crystal ball. We’re trending in a really, really good direction. I know he’s super determined to have a great year, but the timing when it comes to your body and your health, I don’t think you put time frames on it. I think you just have to respond to how he responds.”

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during game one of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

These answers sound like the Clippers are preparing to not have Leonard participate in any of their Hawaii training camp drills. As for the star forward’s season opener status, Frank was noncommittal.

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