Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is expected to make his season debut during the 2024-25 campaign on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, as reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes and ESPN. Leonard has missed a significant portion of the season due to right knee inflammation, sidelining him for the Clippers’ first 34 games. This recurring issue had also forced him to sit out the final eight games of the 2023-24 regular season and four out of six games during the team’s first-round playoff defeat against the Dallas Mavericks.
The persistent knee problem led to Leonard’s withdrawal from the U.S. Olympic team ahead of the Paris Games. The Clippers have officially labeled Leonard as questionable for the upcoming matchup with the Hawks. Throughout his 12-year NBA career, the 33-year-old forward has averaged 58 games played per season and has never participated in more than 74 games in a single campaign.
In the 2022-23 season, Leonard appeared in 52 regular-season games, making 50 starts, and played in 68 games, all as a starter, last season, marking his highest participation since 2016-17. The previous season was missed entirely by Leonard due to a torn ACL, and complications from the subsequent surgery caused him to be sidelined towards the end of last season.
The former San Diego State standout is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Finals MVP, achieving the latter accolade with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019. With career averages of 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in 696 games, Leonard has established himself as a premier two-way player in the league. Last season, he maintained impressive numbers with 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Despite Leonard’s extended absence, the Clippers currently hold the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 19-15 record, positioning them for a play-in opportunity. They trail the fourth-place Los Angeles Lakers by just one game and are half a game behind the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. Following a recent two-game losing streak, the Clippers aim to regain momentum after winning five of their previous six contests.
