Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue said in a recent interview with ESPN that star forward Kawhi Leonard, who once again battled knee problems last season, will be ready for training camp. The Clippers will hold their camp, which begins on Oct. 1, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“I speak to him all the time,” Lue said. “He’ll be ready for [Clippers] training camp. He’s feeling good and I know he’ll be ready for training camp.”
Leonard was playing terrific basketball last season, and had appeared in 68 of the Clippers’ first 74 games before his knee started acting up again. He missed the final eight regular-season games due to inflammation, and sat out of Game 1 of the team’s first-round playoff series versus the Dallas Mavericks as well. While he tried to play through the pain in Games 2 and 3, he didn’t look like himself and did not play in the remainder of their six-game defeat.
In July, Leonard participated in mini camp with Team USA in Las Vegas ahead of the Olympics. However, he ended up being a late scratch and was replaced by Boston Celtics guard Derrick White. Clippers president Lawrence Frank disagreed with USA Basketball’s decision.
“It was USAB’s call, and I was, quite frankly, very disappointed with the decision,” Frank said. “Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there the first two practices. He looked very good. Participated, was a full participant in everything that they did. I wasn’t there for the third practice, where, ultimately, that was the point where they they decided to go in a different direction. I expressed to them, I really wish that they would have given Kawhi more time. We have the benefit of having been around Kawhi for five years to see his body and see where he’s at. So, he looked good to me. I know all the sacrifices he made in order to make this commitment to the Olympics. So it was very disappointing.”
Leonard’s health will be arguably the most single important factor for the Clippers next season after they lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. As long as Leonard and James Harden are both healthy, the Clippers can still be a competitive team in the Western Conference, albeit not a title contender. Should Leonard have more knee problems, though, it’s not out of the question that they could slide into the lottery, especially if he misses extensive time.
Lue is hoping his squad can “prove everybody wrong.”
“When you lose a guy of Paul George’s stature, instantly people [think] oh, they can’t win or they’re not going to be competitive,” Lue said. “But that just challenges me even more. OK, people are counting us out or people don’t think we’re going to be good. That right there just gives me an extra dose of [motivation].”
The Clippers will open their season on Oct. 23 against the Phoenix Suns in what will be the first regular season game at their brand new arena.
