The 2024 NBA offseason hasn’t been a good one for Los Angeles Clippers fans and it appeared as if things might be getting a whole lot worse for them. A supposed agent of Kawhi Leonard’s in China put out a worrying statement recently, that suggested the superstar forward had another serious health concern.
“There might be some bad news, so let me give you a heads up. We’ll have to wait and see what happens during the Clippers’ media day.”
Saw this on China Weibo.
Kawhi Leonard China agent Coral state that :
“There might be some bad news, so let me give you a heads up. We'll have to wait and see what happens during the Clippers' media day.”
Any ideas? pic.twitter.com/R8fgvo4mqO
— L.T (@xries93) September 20, 2024
As the Clippers fanbase went into a frenzy, team insider Law Murray allayed their fears by reporting that Leonard was doing just fine.
“Source close to Kawhi says Kawhi is fine… Check back next week.”
Source close to Kawhi says Kawhi is fine
Also, it’s 76 and mostly cloudy in LA today
Check back next week
— Law Murray ❓ (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 20, 2024
Murray’s report is in line with what Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue had said last month. Lue had stated that Leonard was feeling good and that he’d be ready for training camp.
The Clippers are holding their camp in Hawaii once again and I’m sure all eyes will be on Leonard in the lead-up to it. If he does take part, then any and all health concerns in the lead-up to next season can officially be put to bed.
The Clippers are going to need Leonard to stay healthy in the 2024-25 campaign, more so than at any other point in his time with the franchise. With Paul George’s departure in free agency, the team is desperate for the six-time All-Star to stay upright, the way he did for much of last season.
Leonard missed just six of the first 74 games in the 2023-24 campaign and it looked like he was finally going to go through a whole season relatively unscathed. He was excelling on the court too, with averages of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, and had received a three-year, $153 million extension in January as a result.
It was all going great for Leonard, but the injury bug then struck. He suffered a knee injury and missed the last eight regular season games of the campaign. The 33-year-old did return for Game 2 of the first round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks but it was clear that he was not even close to being fully healthy. He played another game and then sat out for the rest of the series as the Clippers lost in six.
Leonard’s late-season injury raised doubts about whether he’d join Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he did. Unfortunately, though, just days after he joined the camp, it was announced by USA Basketball that the two-time MVP was withdrawing. They felt it was in his best interest to not play after the injury and instead spend time preparing for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The Clippers were disappointed by USA Basketball’s decision, but I think that was better for them too. Considering Leonard’s injury history, the last thing I would have wanted was for him to play competitive basketball in the offseason. We have seen Kawhi’s body break down even when he’s had time off, and things could have potentially gotten much worse if he had played in the Olympics.
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