Kawhi Leonard (knee) of the Clippers to sit out remainder of preseason

The entire preseason will be missed by Kawhi Leonard, forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, due to a right knee injury. This raises doubts about his availability for the start of the regular season.

With the regular-season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue stated on Monday that Leonard's immediate future is to "continue to keep rehabbing" and "keep getting better" while "checking the boxes."

During the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs last spring, Leonard only played in Games 2 and 3 of the Clippers' six-game loss to the Dallas Mavericks due to problems with his right knee.

Health concerns have been a recurring issue for Leonard, who is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP (with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019).

In the 2023 playoffs, he missed the final three games of the Clippers' five-game, first-round loss to the Suns. In 2021, Leonard sat out the last eight postseason games after injuring his right knee, and he did not play at all during the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.

Leonard, who is 33 years old, played in 52 regular-season games (50 starts) during the 2022-23 season and 68 games (all starts) last season.

He was selected as an All-Star for the sixth time in 2023-24, finishing the season with averages of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals.

Throughout his career, Leonard has averaged 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

He played for the Spurs from 2011-12 to 2017-18, the Raptors for the 2018-19 season, and has been with the Clippers ever since.