The Los Angeles Clippers played the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, and Kawhi Leonard made his season debut in the starting lineup.
Due to what the team called the recuperation from a right knee ailment, Leonard missed the Clippers’ first 34 games. Since April 26, when he played 25 minutes and scored nine points in Game 3 of the Clippers’ Western Conference first-round playoff series against Dallas, he has not participated in an NBA game. After losing that game, the Clippers were eliminated in six games.
Though he did not specify how much playing time the six-time All-Star forward would receive, coach Tyronn Lue stated that Leonard is subject to a minutes restriction.
“He hasn’t had preseason or training camp, so this is similar to that. Every player participating tonight went through a training camp and participated in 30 to 35 games,” Lue stated. “We’ll make sure to return him gradually. Tonight is a huge step in the right direction, but we must be careful to do it correctly.
Leonard played in 68 games during the 2023–24 regular season, although he missed 12 of the final 14 due to tendinitis in his right knee. After that, he returned for two postseason games. During the training camp in Las Vegas, he was sent home after being selected for the Olympic team because the USA Basketball officials believed Leonard’s knee was not well enough to compete.
Over the past eight years, Leonard has missed 290 regular-season games, including the entire 2021–22 campaign due to knee issues following an injury sustained against Utah in the 2021 Western Conference playoffs.
Terance Mann, a back guard who missed ten games because of a fractured left middle finger, is also joining the Clippers.
LA entered the game on Saturday in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 19–15 record. According to Lue, it might take a few games to determine everyone’s duties now that Leonard and Mann are back.
“We’re just starting over and attempting to identify the best rotation and players who complement one another. Therefore, that will be the most difficult task,” Lue stated.
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