Kawhi Leonard’s first chance to face the Clippers at the Intuit Dome will have to wait.
The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that Leonard will miss at least a week because of swelling in his left knee. He will undergo a treatment and rehabilitation plan, then be reevaluated in a week. An MRI, the team said, “revealed no acute injury.”
That’s the encouraging part. The less comforting reality is that Leonard is already dealing with knee discomfort and swelling this early in the season, and that’s a concern for a Raptors team that came into the year with hopes of contending in a stout Eastern Conference.
Leonard had appeared in Toronto’s first two wins, against the Bulls and the Wizards, and put up 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in those starts. Even so, his shot wasn’t there to open the year. He then sat out Sunday’s loss to the Timberwolves, and now the absence stretches at least another week.
With a reevaluation set for a week from Tuesday, Leonard will miss at least the next four games for Toronto. That run includes the team’s only trip to Los Angeles this season, a back-to-back against the Lakers on Sunday and the Clippers on Monday. As a result, Leonard will not play at the Intuit Dome this year.
That reunion would have carried plenty of edge. Leonard was traded to Toronto from the Clippers this summer, and the deal didn’t become official until after the league completed its investigation into the Clippers and salary cap circumvention involving Leonard.
The NBA handed down major punishment to the Clippers, including five first-round picks lost, a $30 million fine and suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and other executives. Leonard was fined $700,000.
His return to the Clippers’ new home was expected to come with a loud reception from the home crowd. For now, though, Raptors fans and Clippers fans alike will have to keep waiting.
In Other News...
Clippers Got Bullied In Every Important Area Against The Lakers
The Lakers spent most of the night making the Clippers look small in the places that usually decide a game. Quentin Grimes led Los Angeles with 23 points in a 103-87 win, and the supporting cast did plenty of the heavy lifting too, with Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Matisse Thybulle and Walker Kessler all helping tilt the game in the Lakers favor. The edge showed up everywhere that mattered, from the paint to the glass to the open floor.
For the Clippers, the numbers told a frustrating story because they could not protect the ball or recover enough second-chance opportunities to keep pace. The Lakers turned the game into a physical, turnover-heavy slog and made sure the Clippers paid for every mistake, which is exactly the sort of loss that lingers because it exposes so many problems at once. How quickly the Clippers clean that up will say a lot about whether this was just a bad night or a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonards Raptors Season Just Took A Tough Early Turn
Kawhi Leonards new start in Toronto was already unusual, with the Raptors waiting out an NBA investigation into possible salary-cap circumvention before the trade from the Clippers was finally completed. Once the deal went through, the immediate focus shifted from the paperwork to Leonards health, and the early signs were not encouraging as swelling in his left knee forced him to the sideline right away.
The hope around the Raptors has been that Leonard can get fully right before he steps back on the floor and becomes the kind of difference-maker they brought him in to be. For now, the organization is still navigating the uncertainty that comes with a star arrival delayed by injury, and the next stretch will matter as much for patience as it does for the long-term championship picture. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Have A Ben Sheppard Problem They Didn't Expect
The Clippers are still piecing together their own rotation picture as the road schedule approaches, with several familiar names working back from injury. Max Strus, Brandon Ingram and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are all staying in Los Angeles for rehab, leaving the team to manage depth and lineup flexibility a little longer than it would like.
There is at least one welcome note on the horizon, though. Rui Hachimura is expected to join the upcoming road trip after sitting out with left quad soreness, which gives the Clippers a chance to add another healthy body as they try to steady the group away from home. For a team already navigating absences, every returning piece matters, even if the full picture still is not quite settled. [Read more 🡒]