Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight against the Miami Heat?
LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is working to keep himself on the court this season. After missing all of last season while recovering from injury, Leonard has struggled to stay healthy.
Leonard has played in the Clippers' last two games after missing six straight games. After a 116-111 overtime loss at the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, it looks as if Leonard and the Clippers are playing it safe.
The team announced that Leonard is expected to be out for Thursday night's game in Miami. Los Angeles (14-12) is getting ready to take on the Miami Heat (11-14), but will be without one of its top players.
Leonard has shown flashes in his last two games. During that stretch, he's averaged 15.0 points 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. At the same time, Leonard is shooting just 36.7%.
So looks like Paul George is in and Kawhi Leonard out for Clippers tonight at Heat. Per Clippers:
OUT:
Moussa Diabate - G League - two-way
Kawhi Leonard - right knee injury management
Terance Mann - Concussion Protocol
Jason Preston - G League
Norman Powell - left groin strain
LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard out against the Miami Heat
The LA Clippers came into the 2022-23 season as a popular pick to make a run in the Western Conference. The only thing holding the team back would be injuries, something that has proved problematic over recent years.
Leonard suffered an ACL injury and missed the entire 2021-22 season. The hope was that Kawhi would be healthy enough to hit the ground running this year. However, Leonard has found himself on the sidelines more than on the court.
Kawhi has played a total of seven out of 26 possible games this year. He's averaging 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. It's Leonard's lowest scoring average since the 2012-13 season (11.9). He's also being limited to 24.3 minutes per game, his lowest since his rookie season (24.0 in 2011-12) and in 2017-18 (23.3 in nine games all season) with the San Antonio Spurs.
The LA Clippers have the roster to be one of the top teams in the entire NBA. But without Leonard, that future could look cloudy.
KAWHI LEONARD GETS THE GAME WINNER‼️ https://t.co/yhinprn2HW
The Clippers were recently trending in the right direction, winning five out of seven games. But then the team has lost three of its last four games.
After the matchup against the Heat, Los Angeles will head to Washington to face the Wizards (11-14). The Clippers will then return home for a five-game home stand that will feature matchups against the Boston Celtics (21-5) and Phoenix Suns (16-9).
Time will tell if Kawhi Leonard can return to the court at full capacity. For now, Leonard's health remains one of the biggest mysteries in the NBA.