Kawhi Leonard’s return date is a real uncertainty after he underwent surgery in July to repair a partial tear in his right anterior cruciate ligament.
When addressing your health status in an interview for the USA Today, team owner Steve Ballmer stated that “it is possible” that the two-time Finals MVP will return to the courts before the end of the next regular season.
“No one knows exactly at this point,” said the Clippers owner. “It may be ready. But it will depend on what the doctors and Kawhi himself say. “
This new update would improve the forecasts shared a month ago, at which time the Los Angeles Times reported that the player was most likely ready to rejoin coinciding with the start of the playoffs.
However, the severity of the injury will ensure Leonard’s stay in the infirmary for much of the regular season. The question now is how many games he will be able to play to regain the competitive rhythm before the start of the post-season, in the event that the Clippers confirm their presence in it.
Ballmer himself has pointed out that the Los Angeles franchise continues to be a “very good team” despite the absence of its top star and that the objective will once again be the ring. “This year we will look for the title again. Every year we want to win, ”he continued. “Some people will say that we will take a step back because of the injury. But no, this is a slight setback. Obviously not having one of our two best players hurts. We’ll see when we get Kawhi back. But if we think about a three-year period, we have all these guys under contract for this year and next. That gives us many opportunities to compete. “
(Cover photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)