Kawhi Leonard is finally back on the court after missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season with an ACL injury. The injury was sustained when Kawhi Leonard and Joe Ingles made contact during Game 4 between the Clippers and the Jazz in 2021. There’s no doubt that this injury was tough for the Los Angeles Clippers and their fans, as the team missed the playoffs without their superstar.
Recently, Marcus Morris sounded off on Joe Ingles and blamed him for causing Kawhi Leonard’s injury. Morris claimed that Joe Ingles took a “cheap shot in a cheap manner,” adding that it was a “non-competitive play.” Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports relayed the news.
Leonard sustained the injury during Game 4 of the LA Clippers’ Western Conference semifinals series against Utah when he was fouled by Joe Ingles as he drove toward the basket. Leonard grimaced in pain and limped off the court before returning to play another 45 seconds. The injury would thwart the Clippers’ title run and sideline Leonard for 493 days, including all of last season.
Teammate Marcus Morris still has an issue with the way Ingles made contact with Leonard and knocked him off-balance, the first time anyone on the Clippers has insinuated that the play was dirty.
“I felt like it was a cheap shot in a cheap manner, probably that’s what hurt the most. It was a non-competitive play,” Morris said this week.
Though it is unclear what the intention of the play was, Joe Ingles, it is clear that the contact was what resulted in Kawhi Leonard’s injury. Joe Ingles does not have a reputation as a dirty player, and this was quite likely an unfortunate accident on his part. Luckily, Kawhi Leonard seems to be getting back to his regular self, and hopefully, we see the superstar have a great year.
The Los Angeles Clippers Should Be Contenders This Season
The Los Angeles Clippers are a deep team this year with a lot of talent, and there’s no question that they should be title contenders. In fact, Matt Barnes suggested that the Los Angeles Clippers are the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors this season.
“I think the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers [are favorites for the title], you know, it would be history for the Clippers. Shout out to Ty Lue and how he’s been able to keep the train on the track, with no Kawhi all last year, PG missed a handful of games. The one thing about that team is that everybody knows their roles. Adding John Wall, to me the deepest team in the league is the Clippers, so, you gotta beat the champs, but if anyone in the Western Conference can beat the champs in the Western Finals, it could be the Clippers.”
There is no doubt that the Los Angeles Clippers have the ability to win it all, but the key for them is simply staying healthy. If they get to the playoffs and their stars are 100%, then they definitely have a chance of winning it all.
The Western Conference will definitely be tough this season, with a lot of new talented teams making their emergence this year. However, the Clippers definitely have the star power and the depth to succeed, and we’ll see how they do this year.
