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Kawhi Leonard Injury Update: Will the Los Angeles Clippers Star Play Against Luka’s Mavericks?
Kawhi Leonard's status for the Los Angeles Clippers' clash with Luka Dončić's Mavericks hangs in the balance as the star recovers from injury. Fans eagerly await news on his availability. Read more.
Los Angeles Clippers' superstar, Kawhi Leonard, has avoided contact in practice recently, but there's a possibility he might participate in the premiere game of the first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Team president, Lawrence Frank, indicated that this relies on whether Leonard's right knee swelling reduces, in a conversation with reporters.
"Kawhi has struggled with his right knee inflammation for around three weeks now. We're entirely devoted to reducing the swelling to facilitate his gameplay," Frank shared on Thursday. "Although we've made progress, we need the inflammation to continue reducing for him to perform basketball movements effectively. We're optimistic about achieving this."
Leonard, who has been off the court since March 31, has focused on the mental preparation aspects, including film study and personnel review during practice sessions, according to Frank. Regarding moving towards full-contact training, Frank stated that the team is assessing the situation on a day-to-day basis.
By the close of March, Leonard had participated in 68 of the Los Angeles Clippers' 74 games. He maintained an average record of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in every game, clocking in 34.3 minutes on average during the regular season. With his remarkable shooting records, he is likely to secure a position in an All-NBA team. 
The Clippers, who are this season's fourth seed, could fight for a championship this season as their performance from mid-November to early February shows, given Leonard is fit to play. However, they are also at risk of losing to the Mavericks in the first round, who concluded the regular season with a far stronger performance.
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Will Kawhi Leonard be Ready for Game 1 Despite Lingering Knee Inflammation?
According to Frank in The Athletic by Law Murray, Leonard is battling very obstinate inflammation, though structurally speaking, he is in excellent Frank hinted there is a possibility that Leonard would get fit by Sunday, considering the progress.
Hence we can be hopeful, but he also added a disclaimer stating that Leonard's participation in Game 1 is still questionable. Frank refused to comment on specifics about treatments but assured that Leonard and the medical team are doing their best for a speedy recovery.
Frank denied any gamesmanship and stated the Clippers aim for transparency. They also acknowledge the unpredictable nature of injury recovery. However, they are optimistic about a positive trend.
The Clippers face a challenging situation due to Leonard's knee injury history. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2021 playoffs, sidelining him for the entire subsequent season, followed by a meniscus tear in the same knee last postseason.
While it's the last thing the Clippers wanted to grapple with, their only hope lies in Leonard's successful ramp-up and resilience.
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