LA Clippers: 3 2021-22 outcomes fans should be thrilled if they come true
By Evan Desai
No. 2 outcome LA Clippers fans should be thrilled about if it comes true: Kawhi Leonard returns by March
If Kawhi Leonard can get back for the LA Clippers by the end of February, expect a Western Conference-winning run this season.
There’s no timetable for Kawhi Leonard’s partially torn ACL right now, but many ACL tears take nine to 12 months to recover. It’s a partial tear, so maybe Leonard can come back closer to that nine-month mark.
If so, that means he’d be back by March 14th (he tore it on June 14th in the Western Conference Semifinals). If that’s the case, the Clippers are going to get a month of regular season basketball from Kawhi.
The Clippers went from losing Kawhi while being tied up at 2-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals this year to winning out and then taking the Suns to six games in the WCF without Leonard. They’re going to be a great team when they’re without him next year, and getting him back about a month before the playoffs is going to put them over the top for a Finals birth.
Not only will they get the best player in the Western Conference back for the postseason, but he’ll have a month to find his rhythm and be all up to speed.