Kawhi Leonard has been unlisted from the Clippers’ injured list and is expected to play in their game against the Nuggets tonight.
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Kawhi Leonard is one of the most dominant two-way forces in the NBA today, when fit. This man put together one of the most colossal playoff runs of all time with the Raptors in 2019.
In that year, he cemented his status as an all-time great with an especially dominant performance in a grueling 7-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers and subsequent games against the Bucks and the Warriors.
Kawhi was a big part of Nick Nurse’s defensive strategy to shut down reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo that year. The Greek Freak had no joy when he tried to drive the ball when being guarded by the Klaw.
Since then, however, the Clippers haven’t had the benefit of seeing a fully fit Kawhi in the playoffs. The one year that he did play an active part, they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets in the bubble.
The following year, Clippers Nation was rolling on all cylinders as Kawhi averaged nearly 30 ppg while playing spectacular defense. This run was, however, cruelly cut short when he suffered a knee injury against the Utah Jazz.
Leonard missed the entirety of the 2021-22 NBA season with the same ACL tear. When he came back early this season, it took him some effort to shake off the rust from sitting out an entire year.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight vs Denver Nuggets?
In their latest press update yesterday, the Clippers removed Kawhi from their injured list. Leonard had missed their loss to the Miami Heat at home with a non-Covid related illness.
Nicolas Batum (ankle) is OUT tomorrow vs. the Nuggets.
Paul George, as expected, is QUESTIONABLE for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard is unlisted and should be available to play tomorrow after participating in practice.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 5, 2023
The Clippers have a 9-5 record in the 14 games that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have played together this season. The duo continues to be one of the most dominant pairings in the NBA in the limited court action that they see together.
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Kawhi stats this year
So far this season, Kawhi has played 16 games. He started the season off slowly, with a 25-minute cap to his minutes before getting sidelined with injury in mid-November.
His playing time increased and his averages improved in the month of December. Leonard is currently tallying season averages of 17.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 28.9 minutes per game.
The most encouraging signs about him are that he’s now totaled over 24 points in 3 of his last 4 games. The Clippers’ offense desperately needs him firing on all cylinders, judging by their lowly position on the offensive ratings table this season.
