Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard participated within the “contact” a part of follow for the primary time this season on Wednesday, however coach Tyronn Lue mentioned there nonetheless isn’t a timetable for the return of the staff’s finest participant, who has been out all season as he manages a proper knee harm.
Leonard will journey with the Clippers for video games at Dallas (Thursday and Saturday) and at Memphis (Monday), however he won’t play in any of these video games, Lue mentioned. The Clippers then return residence to play Golden State at Intuit Dome on Dec. 27.
“Nicely, he practiced at the moment, five-on-five with contact,” Lue mentioned Wednesday. “So, good seeing him on the market doing that. It got here out good. So, simply proceed the method and ensuring we’re checking each field earlier than he returns to play. … He’s going to journey, sure, however he won’t play on this journey.”
Lue mentioned the Clippers have days off to follow throughout the journey. Leonard may take part in these practices and can do rehabilitation work with the staff’s medical workers.
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Will probably be Leonard’s first journey of the common season, his final since touring with the staff to Hawaii for coaching camp on the finish of September.
“Simply the identical factor, simply progressing,” Lue mentioned about what the Clippers need to see out of Leonard on the street. “Simply hold checking the bins, ensuring that when he will get carried out with the five-on-five, with the contact, ensuring he doesn’t have any swelling, ensuring he doesn’t have any setbacks. And he can get a number of rehab and stuff carried out on the street with our staff. That’s why he’s making the journey.”
Leonard has ramped up his practices in the previous couple of weeks.
He final performed in a sport for the Clippers in Sport 4 of a first-round playoff sequence in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks on April 26.
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“I can see him getting extra excited,” Lue mentioned. “He’s been placing in a number of work to get thus far. So, at the moment to do five-on-five with contact was an enormous step for him. Like I mentioned, we bought to maintain doing what we’re doing proper now. The medical workers has been nice. He’s nice at placing within the work. So now we simply bought to proceed to construct off of it.”
Leonard has been seen as 100% clear to take part within the follow periods, however the Clippers nonetheless are being cautious.
“Yeah, he feels good,” Lue mentioned. “We simply bought to ensure he continues to really feel good. We don’t need something the place it’s one or two days after which it’s again to the place he was at. So, that’s why we’re taking the method sluggish. That’s why we’re doing it the suitable method. He does really feel good. So, we simply bought to ensure he can do it for lengthy sufficient to verify all these bins, be sure that the method is true and never simply throw him again on the market on the ground.”
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Occasions.
