Los Angeles Clippers News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (right) fouls Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Kawhi Leonard is finally healthy again — and that's great for Clippers and NBA

By Jalyn Smoot | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 1:51 PM ET

Kawhi Leonard is one of the more transcendent NBA talents of the past decade. Throughout his 13-year career, Leonard has experienced the highest peaks in the game. The Clippers star, a six-time All-Star, has won two NBA championships and two Finals MVP trophies.

When he's in the lineup, Leonard is a dominant, efficient force capable of leading a franchise. His prowess on both ends of the floor is notable, and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year often positions his team for a championship run.

Unfortunately, Leonard has struggled to get on the court in recent seasons. Multiple injuries — primarily a lingering injury to his surgically repaired left knee — have frequently sidelined the superstar.

Leonard has missed 294 regular-season games over the past eight seasons, including all of the 2021-22 season with knee trouble after suffering an injury in the 2021 Western Conference semifinals against Utah.

Thankfully for both NBA fans and the Clippers, Leonard made his long-awaited season debut on Jan. 4 against the Hawks. Although it will take time to regain his MVP-caliber form, Leonard relished the return.

"It felt great," Leonard said. "I was able to throw some paint on the canvas tonight. We're working to create something beautiful, so let's keep going."

Since his season debut, Leonard has scored 15+ points in all but two of his eight games, including a 27-point eruption on Wednesday against the Spurs, the team he played for from 2011-2018.

After the game, a reporter interviewing Leonard noted his 27 points as a career high, but the star corrected her.

Kawhi pic.twitter.com/k9sAY4oWx5
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 30, 2025

“Season high, not a career high,” Leonard said. “I feel good right now. We'll see how it goes in the morning and we'll just keep moving.”

As Leonard said, time will tell how his recovery goes, but the Clippers (27-20), who play next at the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, should be encouraged by his usage and production in January. On Wednesday, Leonard registered his season high in minutes (29) and cashed in with his second 20+ point performance of the month.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue believes Leonard's impressive return to the lineup is a byproduct of his tireless work ethic. During an appearance on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis" in December, Lue said Leonard's work ethic closely resembles all-time NBA leading scorer LeBron James.

"Both put in work every single day and grind every single day to get better," said Lue, who coached James with the Cavaliers. "They remind me a lot of each other when it comes to that work ethic and putting that work in to get where they want to get to."

Lue also said the backlash Leonard receives for missing games is unfair and that the Clippers star trains relentlessly.

"It's just hard for the criticism that comes his way when I know I see him every day grinding in the weight room, grinding on the court every single day, and it's just unfortunate that he can't control what he has going on," Lue said.

For fans of his game, it is nice to see Leonard's intense rehabbing regimen paying off. The NBA is a much more exciting product when he plays and his return could alter the playoff landscape of the Western Conference.

Hopefully, Leonard is able to maintain a clean bill of health rest of season.

Jalyn Smoot

Jalyn Smoot is a University of North Texas graduate passionate about writing, sports, and film. Throughout his near decade-long career as a freelance reporter, he has been featured on Bleacher Report, Major League Baseball, Apple News, Fox Sports, and NewsBreak.

More must-reads: