Kawhi Leonard, who suffered a partial ACL tear during the 2021 Western Conference Semi-Final, missed the entire 2021-22 season.
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Kawhi Leonard is an absolute beast of a player. He single-handedly carried the Toronto Raptors to a championship back in 2019. Known for his defensive prowess, Leonard and Paul George make up the star duo of Clippers.
In the 2021 Western Conference Semis, Leonard partially tore his ACL in game 4 against the Utah Jazz. After a drive, the 6’7″ forward limped off the court and did not return for the Conference Finals either. He ended up getting surgery to repair his knee and lost the entire season.
But the Claw is all healed now and is expected to make a return against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The 2-time Finals MVP is expected to make an appearance against the LA rivals.
Will Kawhi Leonard finally make an appearance?
Good news for all Clippers fans, both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be in the lineup on Thursday. In the official injury report submitted by the team, Kawhi is not listed as out or even probable. This means that the star is definitely in the lineup.
Though Leonard and George will play, Reggie Jackson is listed as probable and may not make an appearance come Thursday.
Kawhi has been out for a long time and though he did make an appearance during the preseason, only the game will tell if Kawhi is fit to handle the intensity of the regular season. We expect him to take things easy and assess the team properly.
Coach Ty Lue must be ecstatic to have his stars back in the lineup. However, he must also be careful so as to not repeat the last season’s bad luck.
Lakers vs Clippers, a match to assert dominance in LA
Clippers have always been ‘that other team’ in LA. The Lakers remain the number one team among fans. But that gives the Clippers all the more reason to perform well against their rivals.
The clippers have triumphed in their last 7 meetings with the Lakers. This makes things difficult for LeBron James and co. The stakes are higher for them. Moreover, they have already lost a game while the Clippers are yet to make their season debut.
This gives Ty Lue’s squad a certain edge over their forthcoming opponents. We may see another Lakers loss considering the team’s bad spell that seems to have followed them into this season.
