Is Kawhi Leonard Playing? Final Injury Report For Clippers vs Hawks
January 5, 2025
3,435
The Los Angeles Clippers will be hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night and they may be getting back a crucial piece to their puzzle. Star forward Kawhi Leonard is set to possibly make his return to the court following right knee injury management.
The star was listed as questionable entering the game against Atlanta. Leonard will be making his season debut for this game.
Kawhi Leonard is officially available tonight.
He will be on a minutes restriction.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) January 5, 2025
Leonard has missed the first part of the NBA season while he recovers from his knee injury. The Clippers have been quiet about his recovery but it seems that Leonard has made enough strides to return.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – MARCH 27: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Leonard is… PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – MARCH 27: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Leonard is ready to return from injury.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Los Angeles has been able to keep themselves afloat without the six-time All-Star in the lineup. Currently, the Clippers hold a record of 19-15, which is good for seventh place in the Western Conference.
More news: Multi-Team Blockbuster Trade Proposal Has Jimmy Butler Land With Clippers
With Leonard back, the Clippers can fully evaluate themselves as a contender in the conference. Star guard James Harden has taken on the brunt of leading this team and he has done well in the absence of Leonard.
But with the Clippers leader now returning, Harden may be able to take some of the pressure off himself.
Due to the missed time already this season, Leonard is not eligible to win MVP or make an All-NBA team, All-Star team, or All-Defensive team. This matters mainly for contract incentives but Leonard likely will be happy to just get back on the court.
Last season, Leonard played in 68 games for the Clippers. This was the most amount of games he saw on the court since the 2016-17 season while with the San Antonio Spurs.
The veteran averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game last season. Despite his availability during the regular season, Leonard once again was sidelined when the Clippers needed him the most.
Leonard was in and out of the lineup for Los Angeles in the postseason against the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers fell to Dallas in six games, with Leonard only playing in two contests.
If Leonard can remain healthy, the Clippers feel like they can do damage this season. But per usual, overall health will be the determining factor in how far this team can go this season.
More news: Magic Johnson to Be Given Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden
For the latest Clippers and NBA news, be sure to check out Newsweek Sports.
Um die besten Erfahrungen zu bieten, verwenden wir Technologien wie Cookies, um Geräteinformationen zu speichern und/oder darauf zuzugreifen. Wenn Sie diesen Technologien zustimmen, können wir Daten wie das Surfverhalten oder eindeutige IDs auf dieser Website verarbeiten. Die Nichteinwilligung oder der Widerruf der Einwilligung kann bestimmte Merkmale und Funktionen beeinträchtigen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
