Kawhi Leonard's imminent return a huge boost for Clippers

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue noted that, despite Leonard's progress, the team does not plan to rush back the superstar forward.

"Yeah, he feels good," Lue said of Leonard, via The Athletic's Law Murray. "We just got to make sure he continues to feel good. We don't want anything where it's one or two days and then it's [his knee] back to where he was at. So, that's why we are taking the process slow. That's why we are doing it the right way. He does feel good. So, we just got to make sure he can do it for long enough to check all these boxes, make sure the process is right and not just throw him back out there on the floor."

While Clippers fans should be excited for Leonard's return, they also have reason to be cautiously optimistic due to his injury history. Last season, Leonard played in 68 games — his most since 2016-17 — before enduring a knee inflammation that held him out of the final stretch of the regular season and most of the playoffs. 

Entering the new season, Leonard seemed in high spirits in training camp, only to be subsequently ruled out with the same mysterious knee swelling. As such, the Clippers can't be blamed for not rushing him back. 

Unless there's another setback, Leonard could make his season debut when the Clippers host the Warriors next Friday, Dec. 27.