It has been less than a week since Kawhi Leonard made his season debut against the Hawks. Of course, he had been out with a lingering right knee injury that had been bothering him since last year. But just two games into his big return, ‘The Klaw’ is out of the lineup once again. This time for personal reasons!

He has decided to step away from the team to tend to his family, who were forced to evacuate due to the ongoing LA wildfires. That’s why Kawhi will not be suiting up for tonight’s Nuggets clash in Denver. Moreover, head coach Ty Lue revealed that he was fully on board with the Clippers star’s decision.

“That’s the most important thing like I said, family, friends and you know loved ones. You definitely have to take care of home. So, totally had my support 100%. Going back, checking on his family and kids, and making sure they’re well,” Lue shared.

Obviously, family takes precedence over everything else. And Lue also gave an update on the 33-year-old’s current status, “He got back and they’re doing okay, so just happy and thankful for that.” Of course, it’s great to know that Kawhi Leonard and his family are safe.

However, the Clippers could struggle in Kawhi Leonard’s absence. Upon his season debut, he scored 12 points and led his team to victory. He also motivated the Clipper Nation with his comments during the post-game interview while addressing his return, “It felt great. Was able to throw some paint on the canvas tonight. We’re working to create something beautiful, so let’s keep going.”

But his unavailability puts the LA franchise back to square one. What’s even more challenging is that they have to maintain their focus while their city is suffering.

Ty Lue “Not Sure” if the Clippers can give maximum effort amid the LA Wildfires

While Kawhi is at home taking care of his family, the rest of his squad has a job to do. Get a win against Nikola Jokić and Co. But Ty Lue knows that it’s going to be difficult to stay focused with what’s going on in LA. “We know we have a task at hand, but you know a lot of people are affected by what’s going on.”

The wildfires have already destroyed over a thousand structures and claimed at least five lives.

The head coach continued, “We know we have a game that we have to play that we wanna win. And so, just give everything we got you know despite. It’s hard to put things like this behind you when so many people are affected. But it’s something we gotta try to do tonight. It’s gonna be tough. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do it or not. But we gotta go out there and compete at a high level and give everything we got.”

Sure, it will be difficult for the Clippers to take on the court tonight. But they can use it as motivation that a win tonight will help put a smile on many people’s faces in LA amid the ongoing tragedy.