It was a frustrating offseason for LA Clippers fans. It was certainly difficult watching their team get punished as a result of the cap circumvention investigation. One silver lining through it all was that they would no longer have to deal with Shams Charania injury updates regarding Kawhi Leonard that would throw a spanner in the Clippers' season.
During Kawhi's seven seasons in Los Angeles, Clippers fans got accustomed to losing Leonard for long stretches with various knee injuries. This made it difficult to build continuity, finish with a top seed in the Western Conference, and make a deep postseason run.
Toronto Raptors have already begun to experience the same. Three games into their season, Leonard has already been ruled out for an extended period.
Kawhi Leonard Will Not Be Available to Face the Clippers Next Week
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that Leonard is "expected to miss a period of weeks due to swelling in his left knee," before adding that there is no structural damage to the knee, but the sides want to "ramp him back up."
Clippers fans are all too familiar with this type of reporting. Weeks can become months, and months can become season-ending. That is, unfortunately, the Kawhi Leonard experience.
Fortunately for Raptors fans, the problematic knee for Leonard is the right one. He hasn't missed too much time with left knee issues over the last several seasons. But the fact that there was swelling due to "wear and tear", as Raptors insider Michael Grange put it, is not ideal considering he only played in two preseason games and two regular-season games.
This also means that the 35-year-old superstar will not be available to face the Clippers in his first and only visit to Intuit Dome this season. The Raptors announced that Leonard will be re-evaluated in one week, which is coincidentally a day after the Clippers host Toronto on November 2nd.
The Raptors have two home games against the Magic before going on a road trip, first taking on the Lakers, then the Clippers on a back-to-back. They then head to Denver to face the Nuggets. While it's understandable to keep Leonard out in this tough slate, one has to wonder whether a trip to Intuit Dome had something to do with this timing.
Clippers fans will have to wait until next season to see Leonard back in LA. But the next opportunity for the Clippers to face Kawhi will be on January 1st in Toronto. Whether he will be available for that game, given the injury concerns already piling up, remains to be seen.
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