Clippers' Kawhi Leonard gets surprising Team USA injury update

06/27/2024 11:58 AM

LOS ANGELES, CA — As the USA Men's National Basketball Team prepares for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, there have been continued questions surrounding the injury status of Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard was unable to play for the Clippers in the end of their 2024 NBA playoff run due to right knee inflammation.

Kawhi Leonard Injury Update

According to USA Men's Basketball and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Kawhi Leonard is expected to be a full participant in the upcoming training camp in Las Vegas ahead of the upcoming.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is expected to be a full participant in Team USA's camp ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

Leonard has been recovering from inflammation in his right knee.

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 27, 2024

“We expect everybody to be good to go,” Steve Kerr said on Thursday. “We’ve been in touch with everyone, not just [Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Haliburton]. Grant and Sean [Ford] have been staying on top of everything. We’ve been in communication constantly, so we expect all 12 guys to be ready to roll.”

Leonard played in his final regular season game on March 31st against the Charlotte Hornets and was unable to suit up again after suffering inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.

Leonard took three weeks away from the court to rehab and prepare for the NBA playoffs. He didn't take part in any contact basketball or even much on-court work over that time. Against the team's recommendation, Leonard played in Games 2 and 3 of the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, but was clearly not himself as he struggled to move on the court.

The Clippers shut him down ahead of Game 4 and he would not return at any point in the series.

There was growing concern in the middle of June that Leonard would need to be replaced, and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White’s name was thrown as a potential replacement.

“I'm told Derrick White looms as a real potential candidate for Team USA in the Summer Olympics if Kawhi Leonard is unable to successfully rehab back from that knee inflammation that kept him out of the back-end of the playoffs,” ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported of Kawhi Leonard on NBA Countdown before Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals. “You've seen White's two-way prowess on display throughout the season and into the postseason.”

When approached by ClutchPoints regarding Kawhi Leonard and his injury status last week during the NBA Finals, managing director of USA Men's Basketball Grant Hill declined to comment. https://t.co/a5FSxkIdpo

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 15, 2024

In the time since, Leonard has been rehabbing his right knee and trying to get it right for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“We’ve been monitoring this all along,” Kerr added. “We have been in touch with Kawhi and his people and he’s been working out now the last couple of weeks.

“Obviously every roster spot is important. You just neer know how these things are gonna play out with injuries and things can happen, you just don’t know. So we’re in touch with everybody and we will continue to stay in touch with the whole group as we head into Vegas next week. and you never know how things play out. There’s always a chance for change.”

Team USA is set to begin their training camp in Las Vegas next week before heading around the world for a couple of friendlies. They’ll open up their exhibition play with a game against Canada in Las Vegas, Nevada. They’ll taken face off against Australia and Serbia in the United Arab Emirates city of Abu Dhabi, and against South Sudan as well as Germany in London, England before heading for Paris. The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics are set for July 26th.

Steve Kerr says, in general, Team USA replacements should be considered possible ay any moment given the risk for injury.

“I know in 2021, in Tokyo, we had several changes at the last minute based on COVID. I think Bradley Beal got COVID. Kevin Love was injured. So we actually changed the roster over the last week. I’d leave everything out there as a possibility based on injuries, based on preparation, whatever it is, but at this point, we fully expect all 12 guys to be ready to go.”

Leonard appeared in 68 games for the Clippers this past season, the most games he's played since the 2016-17 season, where he averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Clippers on 52.5 percent shooting from the field, 41.7 percent from three, and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.

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