LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard made his season debut for the Los Angeles Clippers in Saturday night’s 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at the Intuit Dome.
Leonard gained confidence from the way his return went but knows he’s still ‘day-to-day’ when it comes to his availability due to ongoing right knee soreness.
‘I’m just keeping it moving,’ Leonard said. ‘Just keep playing and doing what I have been doing to get me to this point, that’s all I can ask for. It’s out of my control.’
Coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that the team will be intentional with Leonard’s playing time in the coming days.
“Just making sure we are taking it slow,” Lue said before the game about Leonard’s availability. “This is like his preseason and his training camp because he didn’t have that.”
The six-time All-Star is expected to be on a minutes restriction as he continues to get acclaimed but Lue did not want to commit publicly to an exact number. Leonard is fully on board with the decision to work back into the game slowly.
Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season but the Clippers managed to produce a 19-15 record in his absence behind the efforts of James Harden and Norman Powell.
Leonard became a full-contact participant for Clippers’ practices starting Dec. 18, which fueled speculation that the two-time Defensive Player of the Year was close to making a return. The San Diego State alum spent the last few days working with the team’s G League affiliate in San Diego and participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages.
During the Clippers’ media day session in September, Leonard consistently told reporters that he hoped to remain healthy enough to have a run in the playoffs. He signed a three-year, $153 million deal in January and felt he was coming off a ‘good’ season in 2023-24.
The Clippers are currently the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
How did Kawhi Leonard perform in his season debut?
Leonard scored 12 points and collected three rebounds in 19 minutes of play. He brought the crowd to its feet during the first half after going 3-for-3 from long range. He finished 3-for-5 from 3, but 4-for-11 from the field overall. He added an assist, a steal and had two turnovers.
He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 68 games last season, the most he has played since playing a career-high 74 games during the 2016-17 season. Leonard was limited to 52 games throughout the 2022-23 season and missed the 2021-22 season due to an ACL injury.