The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2024-2025 NBA season without one of their best players.
While everything seemingly pointed to Kawhi Leonard being healthy and ready to go, a week before the season opener, it was announced that he wasn’t going to play.
Not only did Leonard not play in the season opener, but he hasn’t made his season debut yet due to his knee issues.
This has been a major setback for the Clippers, who were operating like he would be back into the fold for the entire season.
They’ve still managed a 14-10 record without him, but they could use his services to take down some of the contenders in the West.
A recent episode of Bill Simmons’ podcast indicated that he could enter the fold soon, which could give an infusion of life and talent to this roster.
“My Clippers guy was telling me Kawhi’s coming back before Christmas. I think he’s ramped up. He’s ramped up and ready to go,” Simmons said.
Kawhi Leonard is expected to return to the LA Clippers lineup “before Christmas,” sources tell @BillSimmons:
“My Clippers guy was telling me Kawhi’s coming back before Christmas. I think he’s ramped up. He’s ramped up and ready to go.”
(h/t: @TheArfur) pic.twitter.com/MVBgucJ8EJ
— Andy (@APH00PS) December 5, 2024
If a late-December timeline is realistic for Leonard, it could give him enough time and regular season games to gear up for the playoffs, where he has thrived throughout his career.
Leonard’s health has been a major concern over the past several years, but when he is healthy, he’s been a prolific scorer and contributor in the postseason.
It will be interesting to see if he does come back soon, and how long it’ll take to get acclimated to playing with this team.
NEXT: Norman Powell Has Strong Belief About Clippers This Season
