Kawhi Leonard’s absence is starting to raise some eyebrows. The Clippers star missed his fifth straight game on Wednesday and isn’t expected back anytime soon as he continues to deal with a sprained right ankle and what the team is now calling a “significant” right foot injury.
“He’s making progress,” said Clippers president Lawrence Frank. “With Kawhi, it wasn’t just an ankle sprain. He also had a significant sprain in his foot, as well. When he sprained his ankle, it kind of triggered a mechanism in his foot. He is making really good progress. We will continue to treat him. We will have a better feel for it next week.”
Leonard suffered the injury during a game against the Miami Heat on November 3, where he scored 27 points in 37 minutes. He hasn’t played since, and the timeline for his return remains unclear.
“Everyone has concurred in terms of what it is,” Frank added, via Ohm Youngmisuk. “It is just going to take a period of time to get the inflammation down and then start to ramp back up on the court. So, he is doing two to three treatments a day, and it is just going to take a little time.”
Kawhi, 34, is running out of time to lead the Clippers to glory. Since he arrived in 2019, the franchise has made just one Conference Finals appearance with nothing to show for it.
From Paul George to James Harden, the Clippers have cycled through many co-stars to help Kawhi replicate what he experienced in Toronto, where he led them to an NBA championship.
Instead, it’s been nothing but disappointment that reached new heights this summer, amid the Aspiration scandal. A potential cap circumvention scheme has been exposed, and it could set the Clippers back years if found guilty. That’s why they must make it work with what they have.
With so much at stake, pressure is building for their new “big three.” If Kawhi, James Harden, and Bradley Beal can stay healthy, they might have a chance to pull off something special. Unfortunately, that scenario is already looking unlikely. Kawhi is missing in action, Beal is out for the season, and Harden is a shell of his former self.
At 3-8 and losers of six straight games, this season is already trending downward. If the Clippers don’t stop the bleeding soon, it may put them in a hole too deep to escape.
After last night’s loss to the Nuggets, Los Angeles has just one day off before facing the Mavericks on Friday for the Emirates NBA Cup. It will be tough without two of their three stars, but the Clippers are thinking beyond November and December. They want to win it all, and they are using every advantage to tip the odds in their favor.
For now, all the Clippers can do is stay afloat and hope their core pieces get healthy soon. The window is closing fast, and if this season spirals out of control, it might be the last time we see this version of the team together.
