INGLEWOOD, Calif. — After enduring a challenging nine-month recovery period, Kawhi Leonard found returning to the court for the Los Angeles Clippers to be a straightforward task.
In his season debut on Saturday night, Leonard played for 19 minutes and contributed 12 points to secure a 131-105 victory against the Atlanta Hawks.
The six-time All-Star had missed the first 34 games of the season while recuperating from a right knee injury, marking his first appearance in a game since April 26, when he participated in Game 3 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against Dallas.
Reflecting on his return, Leonard stated, “We did the right steps to get me to this point. Playing basketball was the easy part of it. This is what I love to do. The hard part is not playing and having the rehab and not competing with my teammates.”
Upon entering as part of the starting lineup, Leonard received an enthusiastic ovation from the fans at the Intuit Dome. He made an immediate impact, netting a 3-pointer on his opening shot from the left wing to level the game at 5-5 just under 10 minutes into the first quarter.
Leonard’s final stats included shooting 4 of 11 overall, including three 3-pointers, and he added three rebounds and one assist to his contribution.
Both Leonard and Coach Tyronn Lue emphasized the importance of a cautious approach as Leonard works to gain his game fitness.
“I took the shots that I got. Anyone watching who expects me to score 20 or 30 points and be aggressive, we are not on anyone’s timeframe,” he mentioned. “We know what’s ahead of us, and we have to keep building in the right direction. We treated tonight like a preseason game and will continue the same way until I’m ready to increase my minutes.”
Although Lue chose not to disclose how long Leonard would adhere to a minutes limit, he felt that the game went well for Leonard and that his presence simplified things for his teammates.
“Just want him to ease into it. Didn’t want to force feed him,” Lue commented. “Our guys did a good job of not just watching him play and instead continued to play the game. It was good to have him back; now we need to keep building on this.”
In the last eight years, Leonard has missed 290 regular-season games, including the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to knee issues that stemmed from an injury in the 2021 Western Conference semifinals against Utah.
If Saturday’s performance is any indication, the fully assembled Clippers squad could become a formidable force in the Western Conference. The team surged in the second quarter, at one point holding a 27-point lead.
With Leonard on the court, guard Norman Powell, who scored 20 points, noted, “He can draw so much attention, double teams, and things like that. That allows me to get open catch-and-shoot 3s and be able to drive the lane—everything becomes easier.”
Powell further commented on the team’s defensive identity, stating, “Even before Kawhi’s return, we’ve been playing well defensively. His presence fits perfectly with our ability to switch and defend one-on-one, which is exciting.”
Currently, the Clippers hold a record of 20-15 and sit in seventh place in the tightly contested Western Conference, with only 2.5 games separating second to seventh place. Following Paul George’s trade to Philadelphia and Leonard’s absence at the beginning of the season, the team had not been anticipated to be five games above .500 at this point in the season.
However, Lue highlighted that there remains significant potential for improvement as the regular season continues.
“There’s still plenty of room for growth. We can enhance our performance,” he asserted. “Our guys have performed admirably. James (Harden), Norm, and Zu (Ivica Zubac) showcased great veteran leadership while carrying the team. Now, we need to be prepared to build on this success. We managed to hold things together until Kawhi returned; now it’s time to take further steps to evolve into a great team.”
