Kawhi Leonard’s return to the court is imminent, but the Los Angeles Clippers are proceeding cautiously. While Leonard recently participated in a full practice, he will not play against the Golden State Warriors and will remain with the team during the upcoming road trip to continue his rehabilitation with the G League affiliate. Leonard has been ruled out for the next four games.
Kawhi Leonard Out For Next Four Clippers Games
This development represents a positive step in Leonard’s recovery. His absence from the court throughout the season has been a significant concern for the Clippers. However, his recent full-practice participation suggests a promising trajectory in his rehabilitation process.
Earlier this month, Leonard officially returned to practice, and head coach Tyronn Lue made it clear they would not rush him back to the court.
“He’s not playing this week, but he’s getting better,” Lue said earlier this month. “[The next step is] just continue to keep doing what we’re doing. Just make sure he is learning so when he gets back he won’t be behind. So just going through the plays, going through our defensive coverages, our foundation, and just keep building up to his able do contact, so I’m not sure when that’s going to come.
“He has to do a lot more things to really get back on the floor. We just want to make sure he’s a hundred percent. We don’t want to get him out there. 70%, 75%. Like, let’s just take our time, make sure we get it right. Like I said, our medical staff with Maggie Bryant, Todd Wright, Jasen Powell, those guys have done a great job just making sure that he’s checking every box, not speeding through it, not skipping steps. We’re not going to let him skip steps and so we want to do right by Kawhi. They’ve done a good job.”
Given that Leonard will remain with the team during the upcoming road trip, his earliest possible return to the court is January 4th against the Atlanta Hawks. However, the Clippers have not provided a definitive timeline for his return.