Kawhi Leonardhas once again fallen into the hands of the injury plague. For almost two years, the former NBA Champion has been in and out of rotation due to serious physical ailments. Two years ago, Kawhi went down during the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL and had to stay out of play for a while.
Leonard was ruled out ahead of Game 3 of round one of the 2023 NBA playoffs. He did not appear in the following games either. The Los Angeles Clippers ruled it as a knee sprain but did not give a return timeline for the player.
Kawhi averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game before the playoffs. He was going on a good path before hitting the bottom yet again. Ironically, it was against the Suns this time as well.
BREAKING: Kawhi Leonard has a torn meniscus, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/7IqKwOrsTM
NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 26, 2023
The Clippers finally announced what was wrong with Kawhi Leonard, claiming that he had torn his meniscus. This is not a good sign for the Clippers forward as he has had multiple injuries occur on the same right knee. The team has not confirmed his return date but he has ample time to get back in shape for next season.According to CBSSports, Kawhi is looking through the options he has to achieve a proper recovery.
The Phoenix Suns trample a Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers
Before the start of the postseason, Paul George was ruled out of play due to a knee sprain. The Clippers were left withRussell Westbrookand Kawhi Leonard up until the latter faced his season-ending injury. LA had a great start but the series slowly got handed over to the Suns. Phoenix won four straight games to close out the series.
Westbrook and Norman Powell took charge of the offense. However, their efforts weren t enough to help the Clippers survive.Devin Bookerplayed at an extremely high level averaging 37.5 points per game during the series. He was backed by his veteran teammateKevin Durantwho also put up 28.4 points per game.
Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers should force Kawhi Leonard to retire. I m done. He needs to go home. It s over.
@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/yYyBcwcihR
NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 26, 2023
Leonard s injury could only mean more load management next season. During the regular season, he averaged 33.6 minutes per game which is slightly higher than usual. But the Clippers restricted his appearances to under 60 games per season since his last injury. LA will also have to reevaluate George and Leonard as both players have been injury prone ever since joining the team.
