The Los Angeles Clippers have been held down over the past five years by injury problems, particularly to star forward Kawhi Leonard, and after losing Paul George as a free agent this offseason, it was announced that Leonard would miss an indefinite amount of time to start this season.
It led to some doom and gloom about the Clippers’ prospects, but they have played surprisingly well, which allowed them to open with a 17-13 record that put them in seventh place in the Western Conference.
Now, there reportedly is finally a target date for Leonard’s return.
“Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is targeting Jan. 4, 2025 for his season debut, per Law Murray. LA faces the Atlanta Hawks at Intuit Dome that night,” The Athletic wrote on X.
SOURCES: Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is targeting Jan. 4, 2025 for his season debut, per @LawMurrayTheNU.
LA faces the Atlanta Hawks at Intuit Dome that night. pic.twitter.com/KaxtdRoDrP
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 28, 2024
Without Leonard there to bust defenses and bail them out near the end of the shot clock, the Clippers have been one of the NBA’s weaker offensive teams, but they have gotten by with their defense.
They rank fifth in defensive rating and have held their opponents under 100 points nine times in 30 games.
Their interior defense has been solid, and they’re one of the NBA’s best on the defensive boards, where they rank second in defensive rebounding percentage.
Guard Norman Powell has stepped up offensively in Leonard’s absence, but James Harden is struggling with a field-goal percentage of just 38.9 percent.
The arrival of Leonard and George in 2019 put the Clippers among the favorites to win the NBA championship, but they have gone to the Western Conference Finals just once and have failed to win a single playoff series since 2021.
NEXT: Clippers Are Reportedly Shopping 2 Players On Trade Market
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