Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with knee issues.
Leonard missed four of LA's six first-round games against the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Playoffs due to "knee inflammation." The Clippers lost the series to the eventual NBA Finals runners-up.
The early exit afforded Leonard an extended rest period to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA. But his knee still wasn't healed enough to participate in the international competition.
While Leonard's camp and the Clippers refuted Team USA's statement that the star forward's knee would prevent him from playing, the latest report on his injury shows that Leonard is still dealing with discomfort.
Will the two-time Finals MVP be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season? The Sporting News takes a closer look.
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Kawhi Leonard knee injury update
Leonard underwent a procedure on his knee in the offseason, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Law Murray reported Tuesday.
Clippers president Lawrence Frank said Leonard's knee swelling "has gone down and is almost gone" but the team will hold him out of drill work to start training camp, per Sports Illustrated's Joey Lynn.
LA will begin its training camp on Oct. 1 and its first preseason game will be at home against the Warriors on Oct. 5.
Do not expect to see Leonard on the floor at all during the preseason as he ramps up for a potential return to start the regular season.
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Will Kawhi Leonard be ready to start the 2024-25 NBA season?
At media day, Leonard said that the plan is to play on opening night but added that "it depends on what we want and how we feeling," and that it will be handled day-to-day.
Clippers president Frank would not commit to a timeline on Leonard's return.
"The timing is gonna depend how his knee responds to each phase," Frank told the media Tuesday. "… We’re trending in a good direction… but the timing when it comes to your body and your health, you don’t put time frames on it.”
At the time of Frank's announcement, Leonard will have almost exactly one month to get back to full strength. LA will open its season at the brand-new Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 23 against the Suns.
Leonard was relatively healthy last year, appearing in 68 of 82 available regular season games — his most since 2016-17. The majority of those absences came at the end of the season when he was dealing with knee inflammation.
When healthy, Leonard is still one of the best players in the NBA.
He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season, earning a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.
