How History repeats itself: Kawhi Leonard will start another season injured with the Los Angeles Clippers
The player already had to get off the Team USA train in the summer and will undergo treatment on his knee
Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers have undergone a series of treatments to control inflammation in the player’s right knee, operated on since the end of last season.
Although the inflammation has decreased, the star forward will not participate in the upcoming team camp training sessions in order to fully recover his physical performance.
Clippers’ President, Lawrence Frank, announced on Tuesday that the swelling in Leonard’s knee has decreased “significantly.” However, Frank expressed caution by not guaranteeing that the player will be ready for the start of the regular season. “The timeline will depend on how his knee responds in each phase,” Frank commented. “No one has a crystal ball.”
Both Leonard and the Clippers are focused on fully rehabilitating the player’s knee to avoid a repeat of the situation from the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, where constant inflammation limited him to only two games before the team was eliminated in six games.
On that occasion, Leonard’s knee couldn’t withstand the games’ demands, significantly affecting his performance.
Clippers’ coach, Ty Lue, mentioned that they don’t have a specific plan yet to incorporate Leonard into team practices. Instead, they will follow the medical staff’s guidance to ensure a complete recovery.
According to Frank, the primary focus will be on strengthening Leonard’s knee before his full return to activity.
“We will concentrate on strengthening and loading the knee,” Frank said. “We learned some lessons from last season.
Leonard was eager to come back in the series against Dallas, but the inflammation was uncontrollable, so we want to avoid that situation.”
