The day after Los Angeles was eliminated from the playoffs, star forward Kawhi Leonard announced that he had injured the meniscus in his right knee.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reports that Leonard is “weighing rehabilitation options” in light of the diagnosis.
Rehab over meniscus tears can It takes between three to six months. After this six-month schedule, Leonard will likely miss the start of the regular season while potentially returning in November.
Of course, the Clippers will likely continue to “run the load” when it comes to rehabilitating Leonard on the court. That became a point of contention this year after Leonard missed 30 regular season games after recovering from a torn ACL that forced him to miss the 2021-22 season.
The organization argued that by managing Leonard’s regular season load, he would be able to contribute more in the postseason. This did not happen.
Of course, players and organizations are powerless from injuries. They can hit anyone at any time. But the Clippers pretended they’d come up with an effective formula, all while devaluing the regular season in the process. In the end it exploded in their faces.
Nobody’s guessing where Los Angeles goes from here. The debate is likely to grow in the coming days and weeks as to whether the Clippers should turn toward rebuilding or back again with Leonard and Paul George.
The front office might put their hat to the idea that when Leonard and George are healthy, they give the Clippers a legitimate chance at winning a title. But there is little evidence to suggest this will be the case. It’s entirely possible that the ship has sailed on this iteration of the Clippers being title contenders.