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01/04/2025 09:41 PM

After 252 days away from NBA action, The Claw is back.

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard will make his season debut against the Atlanta Hawks, the team confirmed Saturday.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard is on a minutes restriction, but did not say how much playing time the six-time All-Star forward would get.

"This is like his pre-season and training camp because he hasn't had that. Everybody who's playing tonight had a training camp and they played 30-35 games," Lue said. "We're going to make sure we bring him back slowly. It's a great step in the right direction tonight, but we've got to make sure we're doing it the right way."

The two-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP missed the first 34 games of the schedule with what the Clippers described as right knee injury recovery. Leonard played 68 games in 2023-24 — his highest total since the 2016-17 season — and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on remarkable 52.5/41.7/88.5 shooting splits.

Leonard last played on April 26 in Game 3 of the Clippers first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers are also getting back guard Terance Mann, who missed 10 games due to a broken left middle finger.

Lue said with Leonard and Mann’s return, it might take a couple games to figure out everyone’s roles.

"So just going back to the drawing board, trying to find the right rotation and guys who play well with each other. And so that's going to be the toughest task," Lue said.

The 33-year-old has been plagued with recurring right leg and knee injuries throughout the majority of his career. He missed the entire 2021-22 season after sustaining a partial ACL tear during the 2021 Western Conference semifinals and missed all but nine games during the 2017-18 season with the San Antonio Spurs.

Another former Toronto Raptor — Norman Powell — has stepped up in Leonard’s absence. Powell is averaging a career-high 23.6 points per game and 44.1 per cent from three-point range.

Despite Leonard’s missed time, the Clippers have managed to remain in contention for a playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference, currently sitting in seventh place with a 19-15 record.

— With files from The Associated Press