INGLEWOOD — Kawhi Leonard has been around the NBA for 13 seasons, but it’s been a while since the oft-injured Clippers star has been here. That is, in the gym at the start of training camp.
Leonard missed last season’s training camp, the preseason and the first 41 games because of continuing issues with his surgically repaired right knee. He didn’t practice or play until late in December, making his season debut Jan. 7.
But those concerns appear to be in the Clippers’ rearview mirror as they head into next week’s first preseason game against the Guangzhou Loong-Lions of China in Oceanside. Leonard said he is feeling 100% healthy so far.
“It feels good to be here,” Leonard said after Sunday’s practice. “Like I said, you need everybody in the beginning to build that team chemistry.”
Building anything around Leonard has been an unenviable task for the coaching staff. He has played less than 60 games and has been in and out of lineups over four of his five seasons with the Clippers, making Coach Tyronn Lue’s job of putting together workable lineups without overtaxing the stars difficult.
With Leonard out for the start of last season, Lue was forced to place much of the load on veteran point guard James Harden, Nicolas Batum and center Ivica Zubac.
But this time it is different. Leonard said he hasn’t felt this good since 2023-24 when he played 68 games before injuring his knee in the team’s first-round playoff appearance.
“It’s always exciting in the beginning of that season, everybody’s getting together, trying to build a bond and it’s always great when everybody could contribute to the first part of the season,” Leonard said.
To ensure a healthy start, Leonard maintained a rigorous training schedule well into June – more than a month after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in a tight seven-game first-round series.
“It was great,” Leonard said of the extra training. “I was just able to move around how I wanted to without checking in with a doctor or rehab specialist and able to just go on the court, do my skill work, or go weight train and just live freely.”
Leonard has shown that when healthy and supported, he can lead a team to a solid finish like he did two seasons ago when the Clippers went 51-31.
And when he did return last season, a fully healthy Leonard averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting an elite 49.8% from the field and 41.1% from the 3-point range in 37 games.
“He looks to be in season form,” Harden said. “He’s been putting in the work all summer. He’s been aggressive. He looks like Kawhi, which is beneficial for our team.”
In the recent past, Harden said questions about Leonard’s availability clouded the season.
“It’s always that moment, ‘When Kawhi’s coming back?’ or whatever the case may be. He’s here. He looks really, really good. And our team looks really, really good.”
Lue called Leonard the “best player on the floor” after the team’s first practice.
“He looked great,” Lue said.
And that could be the status quo going forward, if Leonard can stay healthy.
At 34 and with creaky knees, the two-time NBA champion doesn’t possess the same explosiveness on the court. But with Harden, Bradley Beal, John Collins, and other veteran players in the mix, the pressure will be off Leonard, who can then focus on dominating in the half court, play lock-down defense, and make crucial shots.
“I’ve known Kawhi for a long time and to see the work that he puts in day in and day out, there’s a joy that all of us have whenever we get a chance to play,” veteran guard Chris Paul said. “… He just looks happy to be out here.”