Kawhi Leonard’s absence from the LA Clippers has been felt this season. Leonard sustained an ACL injury during last season’s playoff run and hasn’t returned since. There has been optimism that Leonard would return before the end of the NBA season, but words from head coach Ty Lue suggest that Leonard isn’t set to return anytime soon.
The LA Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a highly entertaining game. In the post-game press conference, Ty Lue spoke about how the Clippers are fighting hard despite not having their two superstars. Lue accidentally let slip that Leonard won’t be returning, although he did try to backtrack and say that he wasn’t sure about the medical intricacies of the recovery process.
"Yeah I don't know. I'm not a doctor. But hope is stronger than fear. So I'm hoping every night that these two guys can come back, but you never know. That's all I have to say, have a good night."
Tyronn Lue on a follow up on saying Kawhi Leonard is probably not coming back. pic.twitter.com/ZbVgvPnjMK
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 4, 2022
“The biggest thing is, with Kawhi being out all year, not knowing what is going to happen with PG, the hardest thing is when our two best players are out… The enjoyment I get from this team – we know Kawhi’s probably not gonna come back, we don’t know the status of PG — but these guys continue to just keep fighting every single night… Yeah I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. But hope is stronger than fear. So I’m hoping every night that these two guys can come back, but you never know. That’s all I have to say, have a good night.”
This is certainly a surprising admission from Ty Lue. Especially given that earlier reports suggested that Leonard would be making a return to the NBA this season. Clearly, the belief was that Leonard would be back with the Clippers and help them make a run in the NBA playoffs this season.
This is the first we have heard of Leonard not potentially returning. Recently, his teammate Nicolas Batum spoke about how he hopes that Leonard returns around March, especially after the All-Star break. Perhaps it really was a mistake from the Clippers’ head coach, but we’ll have to wait and see.
