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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Out for extended period
Shams Charania of ESPN said Wednesday on NBA Today that Kawhi Leonard (knee) will miss multiple weeks but is expected to play this season.Charania's previous report said Leonard would be sidelined indefinitely as he deals with lingering inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, making the latest update unsurprising. However, we now have at least a rough estimate of a return timetable. Even when Leonard is cleared, he'll likely face minute restrictions and back-to-back limitations, but the Los Angeles Clippers remain confident the forward will return to an elite level at some point this season. Until Leonard is back on the court, Derrick Jones and Norman Powell should have increased responsibilities for the Clippers.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Out indefinitely
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is expected to be sidelined indefinitely to start the regular season as he rehabilitates the inflammation in his right knee, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.Leonard has yet to begin basketball activities, and it seems his recovery will take longer than previously expected. Leonard made 68 regular-season appearances last season, but injuries will continue to plague the star forward's availability in 2024-25. In his absence, Derrick Jones should continue to start at the forward position.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Yet to begin basketball activities
Kawhi Leonard (knee) has yet to practice and has done no on-court work with the Los Angeles Clippers throughout training camp, Mark Medina of NBA.com reports.Head coach Tyronn Lue said after Monday's 110-96 preseason win over the Mavericks that the Clippers are prepared to move forward with the starting lineup of James Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones and Ivica Zubac to begin the regular season while Leonard lacks a clear timeline to practice, much less play in a game. His inability to begin ramping up creates serious concern for his future outlook. The 33-year-old continues to rehab his inflamed right knee, and past surgeries on the same knee to address ACL and meniscus from previous years could be complicating factors in his recovery.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Set to miss season opener
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue implied after Monday's 110-96 preseason win over the Mavericks that Kawhi 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Won't play in preseason
Kawhi Leonard (knee) has been ruled out for the Los Angeles Clippers' final two preseason games, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.Leonard is continuing to recover from offseason knee surgery, and his status for the start of the regular season is most definitely in jeopardy at this point. The star forward still needs to be cleared for 5-on-5 work before he can move forward in his rehab.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Won't play Tuesday
Kawhi Leonard (knee) will not play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Nets, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.This isn't the least bit surprising, as Leonard has yet to be cleared for 5-on-5 scrimmages. The Los Angeles Clippers will continue to bring him along slowly, and it will be interesting to see if Leonard can play Opening Night against the Suns on Oct. 23, which he previously indicated was a sure thing.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Not clear for scrimmages
Kawhi Leonard (knee) will be held out of 5-on-5 action during Wednesday's practice, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.Leonard was expected to be limited throughout the beginning of training camp, but Wednesday serves as the first threshold that the 33-year-old will fall short of. Leonard is planning to be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 23 against Phoenix, although his ability to play in future 5-on-5 scrimmages will be a critical milestone to hit in the coming weeks.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Hopeful for Opening Night
Kawhi Leonard (knee) said Monday that the plan is to be ready for Opening Night against the Suns on Oct. 23, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.Leonard underwent offseason surgery to address swelling in his knee, and he's expected to be limited to begin training camp. Leonard mentioned he'll have to manage his knee issue for the remainder of his career, and the Los Angeles Clippers will proceed with extreme caution to ensure he's close to full strength for the playoffs. Fantasy managers should take Leonard's optimism with a grain of salt for that reason.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Underwent offseason procedure
Kawhi Leonard underwent offseason surgery to address swelling in his knee, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.While Leonard will be limited to strengthening his knee during training camp, there is optimism within the Los Angeles Clippers' organization that the surgery has helped progress the star forward's recovery. It is still unclear whether or not Leonard will be good to go once the regular season rolls around.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard: Limited to begin training camp
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Tuesday that Kawhi Leonard's (knee) swelling has gone down significantly, but the forward will be held out of certain drill work to open training camp, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.comreports.While Leonard continues to be limited by right knee inflammation, it appears he is progressing in his recovery ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Frank mentioned the star forward will focus on strengthening and loading as he works back to full health. Regardless, Leonard should be expected to miss quite a few games this season for load management, especially during back-to-backs.