Kawhi Leonard spent over 13 months waiting to return to the NBA court. Leonard tore his ACL during the 2021 Playoffs in the second round against the Utah Jazz. This led to the Klaw missing all of last season as the Clippers failed to make the playoffs without him.
Kawhi will be in action for the Clippers’ opening night onwards, creating a lot of hype around this squad. Many have picked them to win the NBA title and the likelihood of the same is higher than it’s ever been for a Clippers franchise. As soon as Kawhi stepped foot on the court after a year, he drained a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the game.
Kawhi is BACK 😤 https://t.co/7yQezZaOe8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 4, 2022
Kawhi is a good shooter, but if he’s become even better at that, the league should be very worried. His defense has always been his bread and butter, but Kawhi has perfected his offensive skill set over the years. The confidence with which he shot that 3 was extremely high, proving that he feels no rust on his body from his absence.
Can The Clippers Finally Break Through To The NBA Finals?
The goal for the Clippers is to win a title, but the first step is getting to the Finals. Never in their history have the Clippers been able to make it to the NBA Finals, with their best run ever coming in 2021 without Kawhi. Paul George led the Clippers to beat the Jazz in consecutive games after Kawhi’s injury before losing to the Phoenix Suns in 6.
The forward depth on the team is incredible and proves that there is enough protection behind the injury-prone Kawhi and PG13. At full strength, the Clippers have one of the deepest and most versatile rosters in the entire NBA.
Hopefully, Kawhi can continue the production levels we have seen from him his entire career. If the Clippers make the leap to the NBA title, now is the best time to do so.
