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Kawhi Leonard is in the midst of a multi-game absence with a knee injury, but it does not quite appear to be cause for alarm just yet.
L.A. Clippers star Leonard was ruled out ahead of Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the second leg of a back-to-back. He also missed the Clippers’ loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and their win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. The Clippers initially listed Leonard out with “right knee soreness,” but the designation has now been changed to “right knee inflammation.”
In the aftermath of Leonard being ruled out for Friday’s game, Clippers reporter Tomer Azarly shared a notable update on the situation. Azarly passes along that Leonard underwent a precautionary MRI upon returning to Los Angeles (the team played Sunday in Charlotte and Tuesday in Sacramento). The MRI reportedly did not show anything that would cause the Clippers significant concern. Azarly adds that Leonard is not expected to be out long enough to endanger his playoff availability.
The two-time Finals MVP has actually been quite durable for the Clippers this season, appearing in 68-of-76 games and often lacing up in back-to-back sets. Leonard has played enough games to meet the criteria for All-NBA consideration (65) and the Clippers seem potentially locked into the No. 4 seed in the West (with a two-game lead and the tiebreaker over the No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks with several games against .500 or below opponents remaining in the regular season). That means that both Leonard and the Clippers can afford to exercise caution, here.
It was on the right knee that Leonard tore his ACL in back in 2021, and he is notoriously unpredictable when it comes to injuries. But for now, it seems like Clippers fans can breathe a slight sigh of relief with the regular season winding down.
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