Last year in the postseason, Kawhi Leonard tore his ACL in the second round against the Utah Jazz. Since that time, Leonard has not played any games for the Los Angeles Clippers, which has left Paul George to do things by himself. Of course, George is also facing injury issues of his own, and it has been up to the Clippers’ role players to make a difference. They are currently holding onto a playoff spot and with the play-in just around the corner, the team is hoping they can get themselves into a position where Kawhi is ready to come back.
Throughout the last few weeks, Leonard has been ramping up his conditioning, and he has also been doing some shooting drills before practices. These drills are to ensure his sharpness when he returns and to also make sure that he can play at a high level with his teammates.
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Today, reporters Tomer Azarly and Mirjam Swanson were watching Leonard’s warm-up, and as you can see, he was all smiles throughout it. However, at one point, Leonard motioned toward Clippers PR and the reporters mentioned above, asking for a stop to the recordings. Leonard was feeling a bit vulnerable and it remains clear that he would rather not have people filming his every move given the sensitive nature of his recovery.
Kawhi has always been a very private person, so this move should not be surprising. Hopefully, however, he is able to get back on the court soon as he is easily one of the most entertaining players to watch given his two-way abilities.