By the second day of USA Basketball’s pre-Olympics training camp in Las Vegas last July, it was clear Kawhi Leonard was not moving fluidly, that his long-troublesome knee was bothering him. Leonard and the Clippers organization were unhappy with the call, but USA Basketball sent him home and replaced Leonard on the Paris roster with Derrick White.
Now comes news Leonard had a procedure on his knee this offseason, something first reported by Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic. While the word “procedure” is vague and could mean a few things, this was likey arthroscopic surgery.
Earlier in the day, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team was going to hold Leonard back during training camp and would not commit to him being available opening night, Oct. 23, when the team plays its first real game in the new Intuit Dome.
Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard in his opening statement:
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 24, 2024
"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… pic.twitter.com/OH3M0pRkqt
While Leonard unquestionably wants to — and probably will — play opening night, that his knee is again a concern is not a good sign for the Clippers. Leonard has a long history of chronic knee and leg issues going back to his time in San Antonio, and while he played in 68 games last season (the most he had played since 2017), his knee limited him to just two games against the Mavericks in the Clippers’ first-round playoff loss last April. Then came his time with Team USA in July.
It’s also concerning because Los Angeles lost Paul George in free agency to Philadelphia and now has to lean hard into Leonard and James Harden, who is about to get a permanent green light this season.
“More pick-and-rolls. Scoring the basketball more, taking more shots,” was how coach Tyronn Lue described Harden’s role this season (via Justin Russo).
The Clippers are going to need more out of Kawhi Leonard, too. The question is, can he give it?
