When considering the NBA’s most disappointing teams this season, the Los Angeles Clippers have to be near the top of the list.
After entering the season as the favorites to de-throne the Warriors in the West, the Clips are just 3-4 on the season with a shocking number of laws on both ends of the floor.
But the most concerning part of this season for the Clippers has been the health of Kawhi Leonard. Despite missing all of last season for ACL recovery, he has already missed most of the Clippers’ games so far, only appearing in a handful of games where he was a shell of himself. Even the star himself has grown frustrated with the situation.
Los Angeles Clippers Reportedly Worried That Kawhi’s Knee Has Gotten Worse
Naturally, fans are starting to suspect that something may be going on with Kawhi, and NBA analyst/insider Chris Broussard revealed that even the Clippers organization is starting to fear the condition of their top athlete.
“At this point, I cannot count on Kawhi Leonard,” said Broussard. “Let me say this, because I’ve talked with some people in the league about this. A week ago, the Clippers feared Kawhi had tendinitis. Now, there’s a fear that it’s worse. I don’t know what that means. This is an 8-12 month injury for most players. It’s been 15 months since his injury. I don’t know if it’s physical, as in there’s still a problem with his knee, or if it’s mental in that Kawhi has, for the most part, not wanted to play unless he’s 110%.”
"I've talked to some people around the league. A week ago, the Clippers feared Kawhi had tendinitis. Now, there's a fear that it's worse." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/A5od3NMEuH
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) November 2, 2022
The Clippers have been pretty secretive about Kawhi’s return to the court. With practically no communication from them at all last season, they aren’t telling us a whole lot about the state of Leonard now.
But after 15 months, he should be playing most games by now. Yet, somehow, he continues to miss time for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Unfortunately, it’s a trend for the 2x champ.
“I wanna remind everybody in 2017-2018, when he only played 9 games for the San Antonio Spurs, he missed 72 games that year,” said Stephen A. Smith on Leonard. “He missed 22 games the year they won the championship in Toronto. He missed 25 games the year after, his first year in LA with the Clippers. He missed the year after that. Then he misses the entire season this past year. And now, he’s already missing games. He’s only played 2 games into a 4-game season. This is utterly ridiculous… somehow, someway, we can’t seem to get him on the court, we can’t seem to get him healthy. He still gets his money though. Something’s gotta give. I mean, damn. I can’t talk about anybody anymore when it comes to missing games, Kawhi Leonard is the pro! He is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and this brother is also a champion at missing games. Nobody does it better!”
Besides the early stages of his Clippers career, Kawhi has been M.I.A. in Los Angeles. And with so many missed games under his belt, Leonard has earned the equivalent of $1 million for every game he’s played with the team.
Now, there are reports that Leonard may be suffering from yet another setback and could waste another season for the franchise.
