“He’s progressing well. He’s been able to get on the court and do some things, which is good for us” said Tyronn Lue, giving a highly anticipated update about his player’s injury condition. The recent LA Clippers-Minnesota Timberwolves matchup marked the 24 regular season game that Kawhi Leonard has now missed. Suffering from a right knee inflammation since March, the player’s continued injury issues have kept him away from action for quite a while now. From the Paris Olympics to the ongoing NBA season, it is hard to imagine the mental toll that missing out would have had on him. Sadly, from what the LA Clippers head coach recently revealed, the NBA star does not seem to be doing well.

Tyronn Lue was the guest on the recent segment of renowned sportscaster Stephen A. Smith’s long-running show. During the conversation, it didn’t take long for the topic of discussion to shift towards Kawhi Leonard. While Stephen A. Smith respected the player, he revealed that he found it ‘frustrating’ that Leonard was seldom available when the team needed him. Lue attempted to defend his player by stating “I just want to just let people know, you know, from Kawhi’s standpoint. Like, for him, it’s more frustrating. Like, he wants to be on the floor, he wants to play every single night.” For Ty Lue, the only thing to blame was ‘bad timing’, since Leonard did not choose to purposely injure himself at a specific point in time. Furthermore, if one were to get a look at the NBA star’s mental state, they wouldn’t choose to blame him either.

“Like, it’s been some tough days, you know, some tough nights. I’ve talked to Kawhi at nights where he’s, you know, almost crying, just talking about, you know, how he’s let the team down” Lue revealed. “But, you can’t do anything about injuries. And, he’s another guy that works extremely hard every single day, to be on the floor, to be on the court, and it’s just some, you know, unfortunate luck”.

The tale of Kawhi Leonard and his injuries is not new. In fact, in the last five years, ailments have limited the player to just 229 total regular season games. The lowest point for the player came during the 2017-18 season. During the tournament, he played only 9 games for the San Antonio Spurs. After making his season debut late due to a right quadriceps injury, he sustained a left shoulder strain. Later, the team ruled him out indefinitely due to a right quadriceps tendinopathy.

The term ‘frustrated’ kept going around back in November 2022 too, after the 2x Final MVP’s knee injury kept him out of the early part of the regular season after playing just 2 games. However, despite having dealt with these issues for quite a while, it still has not become easier for the player. Since he is not becoming any younger, each game Leonard misses would sting a bit more.

The LA Clippers currently hold a 14-10 win record and occupy the 6 seed on the points chart. The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets are right at their tail. Therefore, the team needs someone like Kawhi Leonard to improve the odds during the season’s later stage. If one renowned analyst is to be believed, then it won’t be long before the small forward dons the LA Clippers jersey again.

Bill Simmons indicates that Kawhi Leonard will make season debut before Christmas: “I think he’s ramped up”

Since the LA Clippers began their season run, fans have sought updates about Kawhi Leonard’s condition from time to time. However, even weeks later, the LA Clippers have not provided a definite timeline. Probably due to this, renowned NBA analyst Bill Simmons compelled his own sources to provide some information. He has not confirmed the information he learned yet. Despite this, the ‘update’ may have surely raised some excitement amongst Clippers fans.

“My Clippers guy was telling me Kawhi Leonard’s coming back before Christmas” said Bill Simmons during a recent segment of his podcast. “I think he is ramped up. He’s ramped up and ready to go”.

According to ESPN and ClutchPoints reporter Tomer Azarly, the Clippers cleared Kawhi Leonard to resume at least shooting work. By mid-November, Ty Lue revealed that the small forward had begun shooting “a little bit”. Despite that, he still had no full practice action. Over the weeks, that may have changed.

Over two and a half weeks remain until Christmas. Therefore, the player certainly has a generous time frame at his hands. Whether he will prove Bill Simmons’ report true is something that remains to be seen.