Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Set to miss season opener

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Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue implied after Monday's 110-96 preseason win over the Mavericks that Leonard (knee) won't be available for the Oct. 23 regular-season opener versus the Suns, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.

Though he didn't explicitly rule Leonard out for the opener, Lue said that James Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones and Ivica Zubac will make up the Clippers' starting five to begin the regular season. The news isn't surprising in the least, as Leonard had already been ruled out for the entirety of the Clippers' preseason slate due to inflammation in his right knee, which he previously had twice surgically repaired to address a torn ACL and a meniscus. He also underwent a procedure earlier this offseason on the knee, after inflammation had prevented him from playing in the Clippers' final eight games of the 2023-24 regular season along with all six of the team's playoff contests. Given his lengthy history of right knee problems along with his seemingly recurring bouts of inflammation, Leonard is likely to be eased along slowly during his rehab process. He has yet to take part in any reported on-court contact work since the start of training camp, and though he remains without an official timeline to make his 2024-25 debut, fantasy managers probably shouldn't count on him being available until November at the earliest.