Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has confirmed that All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard will remain sidelined for Game 2 of L.A.’s Western Conference Finals series against the Suns, tweets Mark Medina of USA Today. Leonard has been unavailable since the closeout Game 6 of the Clippers’ second-round series against the Jazz with a right knee sprain.
Medina detailed the ways in which Leonard continues to stay engaged with the Clippers from afar in a new piece. Lue raved that Leonard helped the club make some key halftime adjustments to beat the Jazz in Game 6. “He came into the coaches’ office, just talking about different strategies,” Lue said. “He just wanted to know our game plan, how we are going to start, what’s our coverages and things like that. So he’s very engaged.”
Lue noted that he and Kawhi talked Monday about strategy in his absence, Medina tweets. Lue has stated previously that he hopes Leonard can rejoin the Clippers on the court at some point during the series, but is game-planning as if Leonard will be unavailable.
The team is also missing nominal starting center Serge Ibaka, done for the postseason after undergoing surgery. The status of big man Marcus Morris Sr. ahead of tomorrow’s Game 2 remains up in the air, Medina also noted. Lue said that Morris is “getting treatment around the clock,” but “is still experiencing soreness.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac noted that Kawhi remains involved with the club, and continues to text the team in a group chat thread while they’re on the road and in-person in Los Angeles, tweets Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.
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