Good news for LA Clippers fans. Your star is getting better. Kawhi Leonard, who was sidelined all season due to knee inflammation, returned to practice with the Clippers on Tuesday! It marked his first practice with the team since last season. The knee injury also caused The Klaw to miss the Paris Olympics, where Team USA had originally selected him to play. After practice, Leonard leaned against a basketball stanchion while teammates James Harden and Kris Dunn took extra shots, but he chose not to speak to the media.

Even without Leonard, though, the Clippers have managed to stay in the mix. At 14-11, they’re hanging onto their lives in the cut-throat Western Conference, sitting sixth in a wild playoff race. As Kawhi continues to ramp up his recovery, Lue emphasized that while the star forward is in a positive mental space, patience remains key.

“He’s really in a good space, mentally. Just got to stay with it, stay with the program. Can’t get frustrated trying to rush back. Just got to make sure we do it step by step, and do it the right way,” explained the 41-year-old coach.

With Leonard out, Harden’s been carrying more of the load, along with key role players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac. Powell’s balling out, averaging 23.6 points per game on nearly 50% shooting, including almost 49% from three. That’s a huge boost for LA.

If Kawhi makes his return in the next few weeks, the Clippers should be in solid shape for a playoff run. But if his absence stretches into the new year, staying competitive gets trickier. Ty Lue also tells us what he expects from the 2018-19 finals MVP.

While he’s not expecting The Klaw to jump right back into his superstar role, Lue is confident the star forward can get there. “Not right away. But at some point, we need him to be Kawhi Leonard. I think he can do that.… we just got to get him back to that. … you can’t get frustrated with the process,” said Lue.

Injuries have plagued Leonard’s career since 2017.

Injuries at regular intervals badly halted Kawhi Leonard’s rise to greatness

Kawhi Leonard’s career has been filled with incredible highs and frustrating lows, all thanks to a string of injuries. It all started in 2017 during the Western Conference Finals when he hurt his ankle, landing on Zaza Pachulia’s foot. That moment set off a series of setbacks that would follow him throughout his career. Though The Klaw returned next season, he missed more games because of right quadriceps tendinopathy. The Spurs ended up trading him to Toronto in 2018.

In Toronto, Leonard proved just how dominant he could be, leading the Raptors to their first-ever Championship and claiming his 2nd Finals MVP. However, his time in Toronto was brief, and by 2019, he was in LA, joining the Clippers. He had a solid first season with the team, but another injury hit; during the 2021 playoffs, he tore his ACL in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

After a long rehab, Kawhi Leonard returned for 52 games in the 2022-23 season. But just as he seemed to be getting back to form, another injury struck: a torn right meniscus during the playoffs. He managed to play 68 games the following season, but now he faces yet another injury that has him sidelined indefinitely.

If the injury-prone Kawhi can’t fully recover, he may be remembered as one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history. Hopefully, that’s not the case, as his talent deserves more than what his body has allowed him to show. What do you think?