Well, this is certainly not exactly something you want to see heading into training camp. After losing Paul George in free agency and doubling down on the James Harden Experience, the Clippers are pretty much banking on Kawhi Leonard to be the Kawhi Leonard of old as they move into their new arena this season. That sounds OK in theory, but there’s just one problem. 

The Kawhi Leonard of old may officially be a thing in the past.

When Kawhi is healthy, there is no debate that he’s one of the best two-way players in the league (if not NBA history). A three-level scorer and elite versatile defender, his resume speaks for itself. 

The problem, of course, is the “when” part of that equation. Even in a year where Kawhi surprisingly played 68 games, which was his most in a season since 2016-17, it ended up being the same old story once the playoffs rolled around. He managed just 2 games (really 1.5) in the first round against the Mavs with what the team kept calling “right knee inflammation”. Given his prior issues with his right knee, you could understand why they were being extra cautious, even if it cooked their playoff chances.

Then we got to Team USA and things started to get even weirder. Despite his issues in the playoffs, things started off with the idea that he was fine, and then the next thing we knew he ultimately had to withdraw so he could “focus on getting right for the season”. It was framed that he was feeling good, but thought it was in the Clippers best interest if he bowed out. OK, a little odd but understandable.

The thing is, the Clippers pretty much came out and said that was bullshit

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We should have known something was up when Team USA said both they and the Clippers came to this decision and then the Clippers themselves say that was not the case. That doesn’t exactly pass the smell test. 

Now here we are right ahead of camp and we learn that Kawhi had a procedure on his knee and is being held out of drills. I’m no doctor and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night either, but that doesn’t sound great. 

Taking into account everything from the Olympics to now, it feels like there’s a whole bunch of lying going on when it comes to the status and health of Kawhi, and frankly, it all sucks. As someone who enjoys watching the best players on the planet play basketball, what has happened with Kawhi these last 7 years is depressing as hell. One of the best talents of his era, his career has been completely fucked by injuries, and even when you finally think he’s gotten over the hump and can be mostly healthy, something else comes up. That’s about as brutal as it gets. 

The question now becomes, if Kawhi is cooked, what does that mean for the rest of the West? A 4 seed last year that won 51 games, if Kawhi isn’t ready or has to miss legit time again this season, it’s hard to imagine the Clippers finish on the right side of the Play In. Remember, last year 46 wins got you the 11th seed in the West. This year the Grizzlies (a top 3 seed team) enter the mix healthy so they’re a team you assume will finish somewhere in the top 11, so is it crazy to suggest the Clippers could miss the Play in altogether and get leaped by someone like the Rockets if they have a solid year (41-41 last season)? 

Can you imagine spending all that money on a new arena just to miss the playoffs? Woof. Having to rely heavily on James Harden at this stage of his career is enough of a risk, and potentially subtracting Kawhi from the equation pretty much kills your season before it starts. 

Now, the good news is if you assume Kawhi is sitting all of the preseason games, the Clippers season doesn’t officially start for another 29 days. Giving Kawhi’s knee another month might be enough to get him right, although that seems like a stretch for a guy who has had all summer off and is still having issues. When you think about playoff seeding and head to head tie breakers, the Clippers start the year with a ton of important matchups

so you can see why not having Kawhi or Kawhi playing but not being 100% could potentially be a big deal before we even get to Thanksgiving.

Considering Kawhi still has 2 more guaranteed seasons after this year at $50M per, this is pretty much the Clippers’ reality for the foreseeable future. It just sucks that we’ll probably never get to see what could have been had Kawhi been healthy. As always, injuries are the absolute worst.

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