Kawhi Leonard will miss the Clippers' start of the season indefinitely due to knee inflammation: source

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will miss the start of the 2024-25 NBA season as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired right knee, a team source said Thursday.

Leonard has not suffered any setback in his recovery, the team source said. But he was not cleared to practice and the circumstances that led the team to not commit to a timetable for Leonard's eventual return remain, even though the team will open its regular season on Oct. 23 at the new Intuit Dome against the Phoenix Suns competes. 23.

ESPN reported Thursday that Leonard is expected to be sidelined indefinitely at the start of the season.

On Monday, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue did not include Leonard in his team's opening lineup. The quintet of James Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac will start on Wednesday when LA hosts the Suns. (Powell is expected to remain in the starting lineup when Leonard returns.)

Leonard underwent a procedure to treat knee inflammation in May and was cleared to practice in front of USA Basketball officials in late June.

The Clippers have maintained that Leonard is out indefinitely, and that remains the case. He was medically cleared to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, with fewer on-field responsibilities than he did in LA. Leonard came to training camp with a sleeve on his right leg and was able to participate in the first practice for Team USA.

However, he was replaced in the squad shortly before the start of the tournament. (Joel Embiid, another Team USA player recovering from a knee injury, competed in the Olympics but did not participate in the preseason and will likely miss some regular-season games because of injuries.)

When asked if Leonard would play on Opening Day, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank wouldn't commit to a schedule; Leonard was out indefinitely.

“I think the timing basically depends on how his knee responds to each phase,” Frank said on Sept. 24, a week before training camp. “No one has a crystal ball. Our trend is going in a really, really good direction. I know he is determined to have a great year.

“But the timing, I think when it comes to your body and your health, I don’t think you put time frames on it. You just have to react to how he reacts.”

While Leonard's goal was to be ready for the team's first game of the regular season, he admitted on media day that “we're taking it day by day.”

“The biggest thing for us is making sure we do the right thing by Kawhi,” Lue said a week ago before the Clippers’ preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets. “Don’t let him hurt himself if he tries to come back early. We can't skip steps, we have to follow the process. Our medical staff is one of the best in the league.

“We need to make sure we check every box and do everything right before we put him on the floor. So if he’s mad at us for protecting him, then so be it.”

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Since the start of training camp, Leonard has focused on strengthening his surgically repaired right knee while staying away from team practices. He also said his focus is to be healthy at the end of the season and in the playoffs. Leonard hasn't finished a healthy season since his first season with the Clippers in 2019-20.

“The older I get, the more guys don’t do what I do,” Leonard said during halftime of the Clippers’ first preseason game. “That’s what I work for. I strive to win a championship. I'm not out there trying to play 82 games. I'm trying to win. Although I am obliged to do so, I tried. And it didn't work. So we’ll see.”

Leonard has had a series of false starts since tearing his right ACL in the second round of the 2021 playoffs. After missing the entire 2021–22 season, he fully participated in the subsequent training camp, playing in several preseason games and urging the coaching staff to use him off the bench for the start of the 2022–23 regular season.

Within two weeks, Leonard suffered a setback in his knee and missed 25 days of action before returning. He was largely able to stay on the floor after that until he suffered a torn right meniscus during the team's first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.

Last season, Leonard played in 68 of the first 74 games, but missed the final eight games of the regular season and the team's first playoff game due to inflammation in his right knee. He returned for Games 2 and 3 before suffering a setback and having to sit out the final three games of the Clippers' first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Clippers players continue to say they are not worried about Leonard's extended absence and expect him to be ready at some point. The team has spent training camp and preseason preparing to play without its star.

“He just needs to take his time, you know,” James Harden said recently. “I think we need Kawhi later in the year and healthy.”

The Clippers continue to expect Leonard to be available for a reasonable number of games once he is able to practice and increase his activity.

But Leonard's absence at the start of the regular season is another sign that the team is committed to keeping him on the field for good when he returns, rather than coming back to open a new facility only to suffer another setback .

“It’s always a preparation to play in a game,” Leonard said in Honolulu. “Especially in the position I’m in.”

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(Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)