<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-cryptic-kawhi-leonard-injury-update-james-harden-leadership-role');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ cryptic Kawhi Leonard injury update hints at James Harden leadership role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kawhi-Leonard-gets-injury-update-James-Harden-prepares-to-lead-LA.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ cryptic Kawhi Leonard injury update hints at James Harden leadership role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T07:09:36-07:00">October 15th, 7:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T12:18:46-07:00">October 15th, 12:18pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>INGLEWOOD, CA — With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/6-must-watch-clippers-games-2024-25-schedule">one preseason game</a> on tap, James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers are preparing for regular season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-injury">life without Kawhi Leonard</a>. Head coach Tyronn Lue spoke with members of the media at Tuesday’s Intuit Dome preseason opener, where he all but confirmed that Leonard’s status for the start of the regular season is in doubt.</p><h2><b>Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard gets injury update</b></h2><p>Kawhi Leonard has not played in any of the Clippers’ preseason games, missing four of the five games so far. Tyronn Lue said Leonard would not play in the team’s preseason finale on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings, effectively ruling him out for the entire preseason.</p><p>“He won’t play Thursday,” Lue said of Kawhi Leonard. “[The plan is for him to] Continue to keep rehabbing, keep getting better, and keep checking the boxes.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tyronn Lue says Kawhi Leonard will not play today or Thursday, so he’s out for the whole Clippers’ preseason.</p><p>What’s he gonna do this week?</p><p>“Continue to keep rehabbing, keep getting better, and keep checking the boxes.” <a href="https://t.co/HdNEildjUo">pic.twitter.com/HdNEildjUo</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1845993877893009714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>What those boxes currently entail, however, nobody is quite sure. Through two weeks of training camp, Leonard has yet to participate in any of the Clippers’ practices or drills, instead only taking part in individual workouts.</p><p>In his time in Honolulu, Oceanside, and Seattle, Leonard wasn’t even seen touching a basketball during the portion of practice open to the media.</p><p>“Not right now,” Leonard told reporters in Hawaii when asked if he’d begun his ramp-up process. “We’re just taking it slow, taking it day by day, and just trying to get me back on the floor.</p><p>“It’s not really based on how I’m feeling. It’s more of just listening to the doctors and seeing what I can do to prevent what I have been doing because I’ve been doing a lot. A lot of stuff that probably has me where I am now.”</p><p>A source not authorized to speak publicly said the team is simply preparing as if Leonard will not be available until he is which, to be fair, is not unlike prior years that the Clippers have had to deal with his absences.</p><p>President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said the team would prioritize strengthening Kawhi Leonard’s knee in the preseason as part of a lengthy effort to minimize the inflammation in his right knee.</p><p>The team has not reported anything yet, but as of right now, it does not appear that Kawhi Leonard will be ready for the regular season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23rd, and likely beyond that. The closer this team gets to that date, the more and more it appears this will be James Harden’s team in the immediate future.</p><h2><b>James Harden expected to lead Clippers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/James-Harden-1.jpg"><figcaption>Steven Bisig-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Harden took the initiative to start the Clippers’ mini-camp at Arizona State, hosting his teammates in a week of workouts and bonding before training camp. He’s taken on the role of lead playmaker and scorer on this team and done this as he works in the best shape he’s been in since 2019.</p><p>When asked about Harden’s ability to lead the Clippers now that Kawhi Leonard is likely going to miss a bit of time, Lue affirmed his belief in Harden.</p><p>“Yes, I think so,” Lue confirmed. “He’s been great. All of camp, we did a lot of running, and he told me in Seattle, when we left the football game, ‘you got 12 more days of his s**t and I’m never going to run like this anymore.’ But he’s done all the right things. He’s been a great leader, on and off the floor. He was in the same situation a lot of times in Houston, so he’s up for the challenge.”</p><p>Without Leonard for the time being, the Clippers have trotted out a starting lineup of Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac. <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1846054887731413429" rel="noopener">Tyronn Lue all but confirmed</a> that those five players will be starting together when the team opens up the season.</p><p>“We’ve been putting the work in,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1846071772648820893" rel="noopener">Harden explained</a>. “Basically, it started this entire summer. It’s a process for us, but it’s fun. We have a lot of new guys, but it’s fun. We’re getting after it defensively. Offensively, we’re learning each other. It’s gonna be some excitement around this building.”</p><p>And before reports start floating about Harden’s unhappiness or impatience, Leonard’s injury rehab is not affecting or concerning Harden, one source with knowledge of his thinking told ClutchPoints. The 10-time NBA All-Star and 2018 Most Valuable Player is ecstatic to be home and remains laser-focused on leading this team alongside Tyronn Lue.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Harden on the starting 5 with him, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac:</p><p>“We've been putting the work in. Basically starting this entire summer. It's a process for us, but it's fun. We have a lot of new guys, but it's fun. We're getting after it… <a href="https://t.co/5BU5Yj2std">pic.twitter.com/5BU5Yj2std</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1846071772648820893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Harden, who hasn’t been asked to be a number one scoring and playmaking option on a team since he was a member of the Houston Rockets in 2020, says nothing has changed as far as his abilities go.</p><p>“[I bring] myself,” James Harden said with a laugh. “I’m the same person. That was just me sacrificing to try to chase something that I haven’t accomplished before. But I’m the same person.”</p><p>The Clippers’ opener against the Phoenix Suns is set to tip off at 7:30 PM PST on October 23rd. It’s the first of a six-game stretch to open up the season against the Suns twice, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ cryptic Kawhi Leonard injury update hints at James Harden leadership role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-gets-brutally-honest-new-teammates');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kawhi Leonard gets brutally honest on new Clippers teammates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Clippers-news-Kawhi-Leonard-gets-brutally-honest-on-new-teammates.jpg"></figure><h1>Kawhi Leonard gets brutally honest on new Clippers teammates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-06T13:32:54-07:00">October 6th, 1:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-06T13:32:54-07:00">October 6th, 1:32pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has never been known to be one of the league’s more vocal or self-promoting stars. Sure, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-kawhi-leonard-got-the-fun-guy-nickname">Kawhi may be a fun guy behind the scenes</a>, but in the public eye, he’s rarely come close to living up to that moniker. And if anyone was expecting him to be a top-tier hype man for some of his new Clippers teammates, well, you were sorely mistaken.</p><p>At a recent recent media session, Kawhi Leonard was asked if any of his teammates have stood out during the first week of Clippers training camp, giving <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-kawhi-leonard-one-vote-from-being-the-unanimous-nba-finals-mvp">the two-time NBA Finals MVP</a> the chance to enthusiastically name drop any of the guys he’ll be sharing the floor with this season. But you know as well as I do that the words “Kawhi Leonard” and “enthusiastically” aren’t exactly synonymous.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kawhi Leonard says that he has been watching the new guys in camp such as Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr., as well as observing everyone’s progression, but adds “nobody stood out to me so far” <a href="https://t.co/X6tMzFEqLS">pic.twitter.com/X6tMzFEqLS</a></p><p>— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1842725506707607608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Not only was there not even a whisper of enthusiasm in Kawhi’s voice as he spoke about the likes of new Clippers additions Derrick Jones Jr. or Kris Dunn, but then he doubled-down, adding “nobody stood out to me so far,” as if it weren’t perfectly clear based on the completely and total lack of excitement in the substance of what he was actually saying. I just love Kawhi.</p><h2><b>Clippers need full Kawhi season for successful 2024-25 campaign</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kawhi-Leonard-in-street-clothes-on-the-Clippers-bench.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-paul-george-predicts-fun-year-in-first-season-with-philadelphia">former LA running mate Paul George now in Philadelphia</a>, even more of the burden will be on the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard, and given the injury history of the 33-year-old veteran, that doesn’t necessarily bode well for the Clippers. Leonard played in 68 games last year, his highest total since the 2016-17 season, but he was limited to just two games in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-most-to-blame-for-disappointing-playoff-series-loss-to-mavericks">Clippers’ opening round series loss to the Dallas Mavericks</a>.</p><p>It doesn’t help matters that there are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-knee-concerns">already concerns about Kawhi Leonard’s knee</a>, and we’re barely into the month of October.</p><p>That means, in all likelihood, the Clippers will be entering many games this year with James Harden and a hodgepodge supporting cast that feels like it’s miles away from contending for an NBA Title. Sure, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn are nice depth pieces, but let’s be fair, they aren’t guys who elicit a great deal of enthusiasm.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kawhi Leonard gets brutally honest on new Clippers teammates

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-knee-concerns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard breaks silence on knee concerns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kawhi-Leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-concerns.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard breaks silence on knee concerns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-06T10:53:48-07:00">October 6th, 10:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-06T10:53:48-07:00">October 6th, 10:53am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Heading into this season, everyone is concerned about LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard’s knee. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-nba-insider-kawhi-leonards-puzzling-update-on-his-ongoing-injury-issues">Leonard had an off-season procedure on his knee</a>, and inflammation after the operation kept him out of the Paris Olympics. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-injury">Leonard has been held out of most of this off-season’s training camps</a> to work on getting his knee stronger and ready for the season. He said at halftime of the Clippers preseason game in Honolulu that things are looking good, but <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41632961/kawhi-leonard-says-knee-good-taking-things-slow" rel="noopener">whether he will play</a> in back-to-backs this season remains to be seen.</p><p>“I feel good,” Leonard said at halftime of the Clippers 91-90 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors. “Just been taking my time, getting stronger, and getting ready.</p><p>“… We’re just taking it slow, day by day, and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we’ll see what they’re talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs].”</p><p>Leonard played in 68 games last season, the most he had played in a season since 2017, and he was an All-NBA performer. The knee issues flared up in the playoffs, and he only got into two games. The Mavericks sent the Clippers home in the first round. The question this season is how to get Leonard through the regular season and keep him healthy for the postseason.</p><h2><b>Who else can step up if the Clippers lose Kawhi Leonard to injury?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kawhi-Leonard-Clippers-Media-Day.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After the Clippers lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers, their forward rotation is thin whenever Leonard sits. That led to LA bringing in Derrick Jones Jr. and  Kevin Porter Jr. to address that issue. However, neither player can match George’s level or when Leonard’s healthy. So, what do the Clippers get from Jones and Porter?</p><p>Jones had a career year with the Dallas Mavericks last season, averaging 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three. Jones upped those numbers in the playoffs, averaging 9.1 points and shooting 36.9 percent from three. His calling card, however, was his staunch defense. Jones Jr. was an elite one-on-one defender last year, and he even called himself the best in the league against ball-handlers.</p><p>Porter, meanwhile, has appeared in 196 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Originally selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of USC, Porter Jr. played in Greece last season, averaging 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard breaks silence on knee concerns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-nba-insider-kawhi-leonards-puzzling-update-on-his-ongoing-injury-issues');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA insider shares Kawhi Leonard’s puzzling Clippers update on injury issues');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NBA-Insider-shares-Kawhi-Leonards-puzzling-update-on-his-ongoing-injury-issues.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA insider shares Kawhi Leonard’s puzzling Clippers update on injury issues</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T10:53:12-07:00">October 1st, 10:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T10:53:12-07:00">October 1st, 10:53am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers are currently preparing to open up the 2023-24 NBA season, which is set to begin in just three weeks. Unfortunately for the team, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-injury">Leonard’s well-documented</a> knee issues appear to have arisen once again this offseason, as it was recently reported <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-james-harden-legacy-paul-george-departure">that the Clippers star</a> is dealing with inflammation but hopes to be available for opening night, per Beth Harris of the AP (via NBA.com).</p><p>At media day, Leonard spoke on how he plans to be much more cautious this year with the knee in the hopes of being available for the post season, but one person who is <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/kawhi-leonard-knee-opening-night" rel="noopener">a bit puzzled</a> by that proposition is NBA insider Tim Macmahon of ESPN, who recently took to the Hoop Collective Podcast to relay his concerns.</p><p>“Hold on though, the important parts of the season? If Kawhi’s not playing on a relatively consistent basis he’ll be on a couch on a beach during the important parts of the season,” said Macmahon. “Like they have to make the playoffs in the West.”</p><p>“There might not be an important part of the season,” added NBA insider Ohm Youngmisuk.</p><h2><b>Can the Clippers survive an injury-plagued year?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Leonard-at-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>No.</p><p>This offseason, the Clippers watched Paul George walk out of the door for the Philadelphia 76ers and got nothing in return after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract.</p><p>While the move made some savvy signings of veterans including Nic Batum and Derrick Jones Jr., there are no clear avenues for Los Angeles to be able to replicate the production of George, who himself stayed very healthy throughout both the regular year and playoffs a season ago.</p><p>While Leonard remains a force when healthy, that caveat is becoming more and more prevalent by the year, as the former Finals MVP has finished just one of his five playoff runs with the Clippers healthy.</p><p>Making matters even more complicated are the questions surrounding James Harden and whether he will be able to notch up the scoring and overall playmaking this year in George’s absence at the age of 35 and with a ton of NBA mileage on his body.</p><p>In any case, the Clippers are slated to open up their season on October 23 at home vs the Phoenix Suns. They will certainly be hoping that Leonard is in the lineup when that game tips off at 10:00 PM ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA insider shares Kawhi Leonard’s puzzling Clippers update on injury issues

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-kawhi-leonard-breaks-silence-on-knee-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers star Kawhi Leonard breaks silence on knee injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kawhi-Leonard-Los-Angeles-Clippers-4.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers star Kawhi Leonard breaks silence on knee injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-30T14:29:06-07:00">September 30th, 2:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T07:09:46-07:00">October 1st, 7:09am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>INGLEWOOD, CA — Los Angeles Clippers star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kawhi-leonards-injury-gets-important-update-before-training-camp">Kawhi Leonard will not be</a> participating in drill work when the team kicks off training camp this week, but he will be around and ramping up for a return.</p><p>Kawhi Leonard couldn’t finish the 2024 postseason healthy and wasn’t able to suit up for the 2024 Paris Olympics with USA Basketball, but he does plan on being available when the Clippers start their regular season.</p><h2><b>Kawhi Leonard’s injury status</b></h2><p>Clippers star Kawhi Leonard spoke with members of the media at the team’s Media Day inside their all new Intuit Dome. Leonard explained why the Clippers are playing it safe with him as he works his way into form.</p><p>“We’re taking it day by day,” Leonard said. “Everything’s been going great for the past month, but we’re being very cautious for [certain] reasons. In the past, I haven’t been able to finish some playoff runs, so making sure I stay healthy for those important moments.”</p><p>President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank met with media last week, where the team issued an update on Leonard’s status.</p><p>“His right knee, the swelling has significantly gone down,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1838727188138565677" rel="noopener">Frank said of Kawhi Leonard</a>. “It’s almost gone. He wants to participate in everything in training camp, but we’re gonna hold him back from drill work and really focus on strengthening because the goal is to get him 100 percent so he can have a great season not just this year but for many years. We’ll have a detailed plan, step-by-step, have objective measures to go from one phase to the next but he’s super determined, super excited, and can’t wait to get started.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard in his opening statement:</p><p>"His right knee, the swelling has significantly gone down. It's almost gone. He wants to participate in everything in training camp but we're gonna hold him back from drill work and really focus on strengthening because… <a href="https://t.co/OH3M0pRkqt">pic.twitter.com/OH3M0pRkqt</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1838727188138565677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Leonard played 68 games last season, including back-to-backs, before needing to sit out the final two weeks of the regular season due to inflammation in his right knee. Leonard pushed through the discomfort to play in the playoffs, but was clearly not right.</p><p>The team shut Leonard down shortly after he played in Games 2 and 3, and the star forward has been working on strengthening that knee since.</p><h2><b>Will Kawhi Leonard play on Clippers opening night?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kawhi-Leonard-and-Ivica-Zubac-at-Los-Angeles-Clippers-media-day-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Frank said Leonard’s availability for opening night will be determined closer to the game’s date, but Leonard expressed optimism about his availability against the Phoenix Suns.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Kawhi Leonard said. “I never plan to miss games, but it’s just about my body. I’m a human being and we’re playing basketball, so it all depends on what we want, what we figure out, and how my body’s feeling, but right now, I think it’s a positive thing to think that I will play.”</p><p>A lot of players in Leonard’s position may have given up. Given the lengthy injury history he’s faced, one couldn’t fault him. Heck, you have ESPN’s top paid guys on television calling for his retirement every few months.</p><p>But Leonard continues to persevere, and knows he has a lot of basketball left in his body.</p><p>“I can play. I mean I played my most games I’ve in a long time last year. I played like 68 games, was one of the guys that probably didn’t take a rest break earlier on in that season, but just keep going. Obviously, the last two years I came back from ACL, been injured, and it’s a progression for me.</p><p>“It was successful for us last year. Obviously, from a fan base or just from my own competitive nature, we didn’t reach a goal, but the grand scheme of things and how my body’s been doing it. It was a good year. I went from zero games to 52 to 68, so let’s see if I could keep it going from there.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kawhi Leonard on his motivation to keep fighting through injuries:</p><p>“I can play. I mean I played my most games I've in a long time last year. I played like 68 games, was one of the guys that probably didn't take a rest break earlier on in that season… Obviously, from a fan base… <a href="https://t.co/UL8pa341uv">pic.twitter.com/UL8pa341uv</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1840864394890395927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kawhi Leonard’s 2023-24 campaign was very successful, averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 52.5 percent shooting from the field. The 68 games played was the most he’d played since the 2016-17 season, when he played 74 games with the San Antonio Spurs.</p><p>Despite the ups and downs, Leonard acknowledges that he has to keep fighting.</p><p>“This is just my journey,” Leonard explained. “I don’t wanna be in the situation that I’m in, but I gotta take it for what it is. A lot of people are watching, supporters end outers. I motivate a lot of people, so I gotta keep doing what I’m doing.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kawhi Leonard on how things were left off with USA Basketball:</p><p>“Good. I thanked them for the opportunity. Things came out of nowhere that was out of my control. That's all I can do. I'm glad they were able to get the gold medal.” <a href="https://t.co/bqBKrgBI77">pic.twitter.com/bqBKrgBI77</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1840843238875553940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers will play five preseason games before opening up their season against the Phoenix Suns on October 23rd.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.7	6.1	3.6	0.9	1.6

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.7	6.1	3.6	0.9	1.6

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