What is going on with Kawhi Leonard’s knee injury?

The Los Angeles Clippers are practically assured to play the Dallas Mavericks within the first spherical of the NBA playoffs as both the fourth or fifth seed within the Western Convention, however it’s not clear if and when Kawhi Leonard shall be in uniform to affix them.

As of Friday, April 12, the Clippers star has missed seven straight video games attributable to what the workforce is to date solely calling “proper knee irritation,” however was sufficient of a difficulty to see him despatched dwelling from a street journey after it occurred, and has had little or no concrete info offered on it since.

Leonard was formally dominated out of the workforce’s penultimate sport of the season — Friday, April 12 vs the Utah Jazz — leaving him just one common season sport on Sunday in opposition to the Houston Rockets through which to theoretically return earlier than the Clippers open the postseason in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks slightly greater than per week from now.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue didn’t precisely sound sure that might occur on Friday:

Through the matchup with Utah, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank gave the most recent replace on Leonard, and (notably) stopped in need of giving any form of timeline or dedication that his star could be again this season:

And this was after Lue’s feedback previous to the workforce’s Wednesday sport that raised some eyebrows:

Right here is remainder of the most recent we find out about what’s going on, and when he might be again:

Kawhi obtained an MRI

In keeping with Tomer Azarly, who covers the Clippers as a credentialed reporter for Clutch Factors, Leonard “underwent a precautionary MRI upon returning to Los Angeles, which didn’t present something that might trigger the Clippers vital concern.”

Leonard left the workforce’s street journey after the soreness flared up vs. the Charlotte Hornets on April 1, and went again to Los Angeles for remedy moderately than proceed on with the workforce to Sacramento to face the Kings.

Lue was initially hoping Leonard could be again final Thursday, April 4 in opposition to the Denver Nuggets… however he has as a substitute missed that sport as nicely, and each sport since:

Azarly moreover reported that his sources say Leonard is “not anticipated to be out lengthy sufficient to hazard his playoff availability, assuming the Clippers end with a top-six seed.” Nevertheless, Regulation Murray of The Athletic wrote that “whereas the Clippers stay unconcerned about his standing total, workforce sources keep that they won’t rush him again.”

The workforce will not be offering any substantial updates

The Clippers have largely been mum on any specifics relating to their perpetually mysterious star. Lue wouldn’t even affirm to the media whether or not or not Leonard obtained imaging accomplished on his injured proper knee:

The rationale for burbling skepticism about Leonard’s availability — and in regards to the Clippers’ updates on it — is that this knee is identical one which Leonard tore his meniscus in throughout the 2023 NBA Playoffs, which the Clippers initially framed as a day-to-day “proper knee sprain” earlier than confirming the a lot worse damage after the postseason was over.

Leonard additionally partially tore his ACL in the identical proper knee throughout the 2021 NBA playoffs, later present process surgical procedure that value him the whole 2021-22 season.

Leonard is the Clippers’ consensus finest participant, and their probabilities of doing a lot — if something — within the postseason will hinge on how wholesome he can get for the primary spherical, which is why the workforce’s caginess on this example bears monitoring.

Will Leonard be again for the 2024 NBA playoffs?

To date, the phrase is that he’ll. Azarly reported on Friday, April 5 that Leonard “and the workforce are going by means of the rehab course of, managing the irritation in his knee, they usually’re hopeful he’ll return someday subsequent week, in time to play the ultimate two or three video games of the common season.”

Nevertheless, after being dominated out for Friday, that originally reported objective isn’t going to occur. Leonard can now solely seem in a most of 1 sport earlier than the playoffs start, if he does return in any respect. And given the Clippers’ historic caginess about Leonard’s accidents, that is still to be seen:

Keep tuned and bookmark this web page, as we shall be offering reside updates as they arrive on Leonard’s standing if and when he returns, whether or not to ramp up for the common season, or for the 2024 playoffs.