Various treatments have been pursued by Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers to manage the inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee since the conclusion of last season. Although there has been a reduction in swelling, the star forward will not participate in drills during next week’s training camp in order to fully regain his strength.
On Tuesday, Clippers president Lawrence Frank noted that the swelling in Leonard’s knee has diminished “seriously.” However, he also expressed caution, indicating uncertainty about Leonard’s readiness for the regular season. “The timing will depend on how his knee responds to each phase,” Frank remarked. “No one has a crystal ball.”
The focus for Leonard and the Clippers remains on strengthening the knee to avoid a repeat of last season’s playoff challenges against Dallas, where recurring inflammation limited him to only two games in a six-game series loss to the Mavericks.
Clippers coach Ty Lue mentioned that there are currently no specific plans for Leonard’s integration into practice, emphasizing the need for guidance from the medical staff. According to Frank, the strategy is to concentrate on strength training for Leonard’s knee prior to his return.
“We’re really going to focus on strengthening and loading,” Frank explained. “We’ve learned some lessons. Leonard was eager to return for the Dallas series, but the inflammation became unmanageable within a game and a half, and we don’t want to find ourselves in that situation again.”
At 33 years old, Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season due to knee inflammation. He returned for Games 2 and 3 against Dallas in the playoffs but was sidelined for the remaining games of the Clippers’ first-round exit.
Described as stubborn, the inflammation had been manageable when Leonard participated in USA Basketball’s training camp in July. However, USA Basketball chose to replace him with Celtics point guard Derrick White after camp.
Frank previously stated that Leonard had not experienced a setback and, when questioned about any procedures or treatments before the USA camp, he refrained from specifics, mentioning only that Leonard had worked diligently leading up to the camp.
The Clippers and Leonard are committed to preventing any recurrence of inflammation this season. “The encouraging aspect is that we’ve seen progress,” Frank stated on Tuesday.
“This has been a tricky issue with the inflammation. We’re continuously seeking solutions and learning more about what works over time. It’s truly unfortunate that he’s had to deal with this, but we are definitely trending in the right direction.”
Frank added that Leonard feels “encouraged now” regarding the condition of his knee. “We’ve got the knee in a really, really good place,” he said. “He returned for the Dallas series, and it has been manageable since then. We’ve dedicated the offseason to ensuring this is 100%, and I believe we’re getting closer and closer.”