Kawhi

Leonard

Leonard did not play during the preseason and has yet to appear in a regular season game. Fantasy managers should consider him out indefinitely at this point. Terance Mann and Derrick Jones Jr. will remain starters until that changes, while Lue said last month that Norman Powell will start even after Leonard returns.

Kawhi didn’t have an exact timeline with this knee issue that has been plaguing him, so any expected absence length was just speculation. However, this gives us a rough estimate, and the earliest we should expect to see him out on the floor would be the middle of November. Leonard will obviously be impactful when healthy, but until he’s back, guys like Norman Powell, Terance Mann and Amir Coffey will see extra shots and minutes, with James Harden obviously taking on a bulk of the workload.

Leonard’s fantasy basketball outlook for the upcoming season is grim. The Clippers forward lingering health issues are set to force him to miss time once again. Fantasy managers should stay away from him altogether, as there’s been no news on when he’s likely to hit the hardwood. When he does return, it’s probably safe to say that he won’t be at 100%. James Harden will have to carry a heavy load and none of the Clippers’ wings look especially tantalizing in the aftermath of Leonard’s injury status news.

Leonard has already been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason, but the fact that he hasn’t even practiced with the team yet is discouraging. He will be dominant in fantasy basketball when he returns to the floor, but the timeline for that is unclear. He hasn’t been ruled out for the season opener yet, but if he doesn’t practice soon, managers should expect to see Terance Mann as part of the opening lineup against the Suns next Wednesday.

Powell will likely complete a starting lineup of James Harden, Kawhi, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac, which means that Terance Mann will be in a reserve role. However, if Leonard misses the season opener, Mann may be able to provide some early season value as a streamer. Still, he isn’t a fantasy-friendly player, so don’t get your hopes up for some big performances.

After undergoing a procedure on his right knee during the offseason, Leonard will not see any game action before the Clippers’ regular season opener on October 23. While he’s questionable for that matchup with the Suns, Leonard has not even gone through contact drills in practice. Following Monday’s preseason win over the Mavericks, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that the five who started (James Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac) will most likely hold those roles to begin the season. Powell becomes more attractive as a late-round option in standard leagues, while Mann and Jones are better suited for deeper formats.

The rest of the team was available to practice, but these three were held out. This early into training camp, it is likely precautionary, though Leonard is worth keeping a close eye on as draft season approaches. He underwent a knee procedure during the offseason, and while they are insistent that he will be available for opening night, that could change.

Hours after Clippers lead executive Lawrence Frank revealed that the swelling in Leonard’s knee was “almost gone,” Charania reported that the forward underwent a procedure on his knee this offseason. This report paints Frank’s words in a new light, as it’s fair to question how close Leonard is to being a full go. Fantasy managers are in a difficult spot, as rolling the dice on Leonard depends on how many IL+ slots they have to work with. This makes James Harden even more attractive in his role, likely locking him into the second round of standard league drafts.

Due to inflammation in his right knee, Leonard missed the Clippers’ final eight regular season games and only played Games 2 and 3 of the team’s first-round series against Dallas. The issues persisted, with USA Basketball deciding to replace Leonard with Derrick White ahead of the Paris Olympics. On Monday, Frank attempted to spin his star forward’s health positively, but his still dealing with swelling is problematic. “His right knee, the swelling has significantly gone down,” Frank said. “It’s almost gone. ... We’re going to hold him back from drill work [in training camp] and work on strengthening.” The Clippers will need even more from Leonard with Paul George in Philadelphia. Norman Powell is a player whose fantasy value would increase if Leonard misses time, as the Clippers would need his scoring ability, either as a spot starter or in his usual sixth-man role.

Availability has been a major concern for Leonard over the last seven seasons, and while he appeared in 68 games in 2023-24, he missed four of Los Angeles’ six playoff games. His withdrawal from Team USA is likely do to health concerns, and White - fresh off a championship with Boston - will replace him on the roster. White joins teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.