The Los Angeles Clippers are will play the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs as either the fourth or fifth seed in the Western Conference, but it’s not clear if and when Kawhi Leonard will be in uniform to join them.
As of Saturday, April 13, the Clippers star is set to miss his eighth straight game due to what the team is thus far only calling “right knee inflammation,” but was enough of an issue to see him sent home from a road trip after it occurred, and has had very little concrete information provided on it since.
Leonard has been officially ruled out of the team’s final game of the season — Sunday, April 14 against the Houston Rockets — meaning that if he returns, he will do so in the crucible of the NBA playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard will go 20-21 days between March 31st game vs. Hornets and April 20/21st vs. Mavs.
Clippers will practice this upcoming week as well. https://t.co/dLPFNoQqa8
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 13, 2024
But about that… Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue didn’t exactly sound certain that would happen when he spoke on Friday:
Asked by @BA_Turner if Kawhi Leonard will be playing in Game 1, Ty Lue responded, “That is what we want to see.” Asked again by BT, Lue replied, “Hopefully, he will be playing.”
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) April 13, 2024
During the team’s matchup with the Utah Jazz on Friday, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank gave the latest formal update on Leonard, and (notably) stopped short of giving any sort of timeline or commitment that his star would be back this season… or postseason:
Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard, who is dealing with right knee inflammation:
“With Kawhi, he’s dealing with inflammation. It’s no secret he’s had a couple surgeries to that knee. It’s not uncommon over the course of it where you deal with inflammation. With inflammation, it…
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 13, 2024
And this was after Lue’s comments prior to the team’s Wednesday game that raised some eyebrows:
Here at Clips tonight. @TomerAzarly asks any concern Kawhi’s absence could bleed into the playoffs? Tyronn Lue: “No, not as of right now.” So, that’s good? As of right now?
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) April 11, 2024
Here is rest of the latest we know about what is going on, and when he could be back:
Kawhi got an MRI
According to Tomer Azarly, who covers the Clippers as a credentialed reporter for Clutch Points, Leonard “underwent a precautionary MRI upon returning to Los Angeles, which did not show anything that would cause the Clippers significant concern.”
Leonard left the team’s road trip after the soreness flared up vs. the Charlotte Hornets on April 1, and went back to Los Angeles for treatment rather than continue on with the team to Sacramento to face the Kings.
Lue was initially hoping Leonard would be back last Thursday, April 4 against the Denver Nuggets… but he has instead missed that game as well, and every game since:
Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard’s right knee soreness is something new that popped up after the last game. He went back to Los Angeles for better treatment. Lue hopes Leonard can play Thursday against the Nuggets.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) April 2, 2024
Azarly additionally reported that his sources say Leonard is “not expected to be out long enough to endanger his playoff availability, assuming the Clippers finish with a top-six seed.” However, Law Murray of The Athletic wrote that “while the Clippers remain unconcerned about his status overall, team sources maintain that they will not rush him back.”
The team is not providing any substantial updates
Besides the above, the Clippers have mostly been mum on any specifics regarding their perpetually mysterious star. Lue would initially not even confirm to the media whether or not Leonard got imaging done on his injured right knee:
Tyronn Lue says Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is gonna miss a couple games and refused to answer if he got an MRI on his knee:
“We’re not gonna get into the details of it, but he’s gonna miss a couple games and we need to be ready to step up as he goes through his rehab process.”
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 5, 2024
The reason for burbling skepticism about Leonard’s availability — and about the Clippers’ updates on it — is that this knee is the same one that Leonard tore his meniscus in during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, which the Clippers initially framed as a day-to-day “right knee sprain” before confirming the much worse injury after the postseason was over.
Leonard also partially tore his ACL in the same right knee during the 2021 NBA playoffs, later undergoing surgery that cost him the entire 2021-22 season.
Leonard is the Clippers’ consensus best player, and their chances of doing much — if anything — in the postseason will hinge on how healthy he can get for the first round, which is why the team’s caginess on this situation bears monitoring.
Will Leonard be back for the 2024 NBA playoffs?
So far, the word is that he will. Azarly reported on Friday, April 5 that Leonard “and the team are going through the rehab process, managing the inflammation in his knee, and they’re hopeful he’ll return sometime next week, in time to play the final two or three games of the regular season.”
But now, that officially isn’t going to happen. And given the Clippers’ historic caginess about Leonard’s injuries, whether he will even return at all remains to be seen:
Something I’ve wanted to write for a long time: Updates? No update; Clippers, Kawhi Leonard keep their fans guessinghttps://t.co/PS8AYpz4po
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) April 11, 2024
Stay tuned and bookmark this page, as we will be providing live updates as they come on Leonard’s status if and when he returns, whether to ramp up for the regular season, or for the 2024 playoffs.
