ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday afternoon that Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined for an extended period and unavailable for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Leonard, 33, is a six-time all-star and two-time NBA champion, but his Clippers tenure has yet to go as planned. In 2023, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games but only appeared in two games in the playoffs due to a right knee injury. Leonard played 57 games during his first season in LA and 52 in 2020. During the playoffs in the 2020-21 season, Leonard had to have surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. That injury forced Leonard to miss the entire 2021-22 season. After returning in 2022 from the torn ACL, Leonard tore his meniscus in the 2022-23 playoffs.
Leonard is one of the most talented two-way players in the NBA when healthy. He was selected to be part of the 2024 USA Men’s Basketball team but had to leave training camp early due to his knee injury. During the NBA preseason, Leonard hasn’t participated in any on-court activities. The Clippers have their first game of the season against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, October 23, in their new arena, the Intuit Dome. Clippers president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, stated that the inflation in Leonard’s knee has decreased since last season, but it is still not 100% healed.
Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game last season while being an all-star. Leonard had his most efficient season from the field, shooting 52.5 percent while being 41.7 percent from three-point land. Leonard will begin the season on the sideline, and it is unknown how long it will take for him to be back on the court healthy.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ryanwohl) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
