The Los Angeles Clippers have tried different things to treat Kawhi Leonard. Since the last regular season, he has dealt with a knee inflammation. It prevented his stay for the Olympics. The two-time Finals MVP has admitted that the injury could potentially be imminent for his entire career. It forced some to ponder over the remainder of his career. Paul Pierce feels he should “contemplate retirement,” focusing on life ahead of basketball as a father and husband.

The recent news from Shams Charania is enough to add gasoline to his concerns. At first, Leonard, now the only ace for the Clippers was only doubtful for their opening game. He hadn’t done any on-court activity and has missed every preseason game as he continues to treat the inflammation in the knee.

However, according to Charania, the extent of the injury is much more severe than the initial assessment. The ESPN insider reported that Kawhi Leonard is sidelined indefinitely to start the season, owing to the recovery of his knee inflammation. For the Clippers, it’s grim news. The Klaw, when healthy is a reckoning force enough to pulverize the opponents with his two-way prowess.

Just last season, Leonard played in 68 games, his highest tally since 2017. Yet, his horrific run with severe ailments continues. It’s heartbreaking to see the Clippers superstars suffer through such circumstances recurringly. While it’s a harsh topic to chase, managing the 33-year-old from here on out will be pivotal for the Clippers’ future.

Can the Clippers tackle Kawhi Leonard’s injury woes?

From the moment Leonard stepped onto Zaza Pachulia’s foot, his career took a turn. In the following season, he barely featured, eventually leaving San Antonio. Why is this important? That’s because, in the next season with the Raptors, the franchise devised a strategy to keep The Klaw healthy in the most meaningful time of the season – the postseason.

It famously won the franchise its only title in 2019, with the two-time DPOY emerging as the Finals MVP. Even the Clippers used the blueprint given by the Raptors in their following season, managing to keep Leonard healthy for the postseason. But since then, his injury luck has rotten once again.

The best solution might be to use the same schemes the Philadelphia 76ers plan on implementing for his former teammate Paul George and star center Joel Embiid. When Kawhi Leonard does return, he might not feature in both legs of a back-to-back. Additionally, in the first few months, it could be paramount to manage his minutes and only play him enough to evaluate the progress of his inflammation.

In the prior talks, the Clippers President of Basketball Operations said the inflammation in his right knee had decreased significantly. Still, the Clippers are looking to stay patient due to the recurring nature of his ailments. The six-time All-Star will only return upon his full recovery, the following period will be one that will truly determine how sensitive his situation really is.

Till then, all we can do is hope the enforcing forward recovers well and can avoid any injury in the future.