Kawhi Leonard’s Struggle With Injuries “Hard to Watch” for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce

Kawhi Leonard is set to miss the opening part of this season due to, well no points for guessing, an injury again. His stint at the Los Angeles Clippers has been plagued with injuries and breaks. Kawhi has missed 179 games of the 435 possible since joining the franchise in 2019.

Last season did inspire optimism — a largely fit Leonard played 68 games, the most since his 2016-17 campaign with the Spurs. The 33-year-old looked to be back in his best health, but things went sore again as the 2024 Olympic Games approached. His knee injury acted up while with the national team and Leonard was sent back home to the Clippers.

The Clippers star seemed on course for a regular season return. However, the latest update reeks of uncertainty. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce expressed concerns for Leonard amid his latest injury update.

The Clippers star will be out indefinitely, recovering from inflammation in his right knee. Pierce said he understands the struggle Leonard is going through. He discussed the matter with Garnett on their show TICKET & THE TRUTH: 

“If I’m Kawhi man, I’m doing everything in my ability to come back, because I’m making a lot of cheese. But I’m seriously at the back of my head, I’m like ‘man I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep going under the knife, I can’t keep going through rehab…’ You know I’d be beat down mentally if I went through this many injuries… I can’t imagine that, that fight to get back healthy every year or two. Like, I can’t imagine that.” 

Further into the conversation, Garnett even said he would understand if Leonard wanted to retire, adding that he would like to get clarity on the future of the Clippers star. Garnett spoke about how all players reach a stage when they have to be real with themselves and “shut it down”. 

The Celtics legend revealed that he looks forward to seeing Leonard suit up every year. But then Garnett is left “feeling bad” seeing the LA star sidelined or starting the season on the bench. Pierce touched on the emotional toll on Kawhi each time he bounces back from an injury, only to get hurt again.

Both Pierce and Garnett find it hard to watch Kawhi struggle through the tough recovery process, concerningly too often.

Kawhi’s injury-marred timeline at the Clippers 

Leonard first injured his knee in April, missing the last eight games of the 2023-24 regular season. Although he made it back for the playoffs, he managed only two games, averaged just 12 points and looked like a shell of his regular-season self.

Kawhi was even sent home from Team USA amid controversy surrounding his readiness for the Olympics. He is out now indefinitely, recovering from a knee inflammation.  

This is not the first major injury that Leonard has endured. He missed a majority of the 2018-19 season treating quadriceps tendinopathy in his right thigh. Despite this, he won the Finals with the Raptors, securing his second Finals MVP award.

After moving to hometown LA, he missed the entire 2021-22 season after tearing his ACL. 

Other than these major injuries, the Clippers star has suffered nagging injuries in his knee, leg, ankle, and the hips during his career. This latest knee inflammation is all the more concerning for the Clippers as there is no set timeline for Leonard’s return. And their campaign could fall apart fast without him steering the ship as the 2024-25 season approaches.