On Sunday afternoon, via X(formerly Twitter), Joey Linn, a well-known beat writer and reporter on the LA Clippers, posted that Kawhi Leonard, the face of the franchise with two championships in his showroom, is expected to play in the preseason opener versus the Guangzhou Loong-Lions.
This expectation stems from Leonard himself, as he was asked a question and subsequently hovered over his participation status. Additionally, he covered the purpose of training camp, which is ultimately to prepare for the season ahead.
This has been a long time coming, and the second action begins against the Loong-Lions, fans of the Clippers should soak in the moment and really cherish Leonard breaking a sweat while running back and forth, crushing his competition.
However, fans will inevitably be left on a cliffhanger at the end of Leonard’s preseason debut, as the coaching staff does not want to take any risk with their best player entering the regular season healthy.
Kawhi Leonard will likely not play much in each of the Clippers’ preseason matchups
The last time Kawhi Leonard showed up and played for the LA Clippers in their preseason was when Bones Hyland and Robert Covington were in the rotation. They both came off the bench, while the starting lineup had Russell Westbrook and Nicolas Batum in it.
To put a date on it, this game took place on October 17th, 2023, at home against the Denver Nuggets, where the Clippers won by 13 points, with Paul George as the top scorer with 23 points.
However, fans could never forget Leonard missing the 2024-25 preseason and most of the regular season due to knee inflammation. Thus, the matchup with the Guangzhou Loong-Lions is heavily anticipated.
Furthermore, Leonard will start and play, yet he is the primary player that every coach and trainer will be tracking. This means the usual star restriction that teams implement in the preseason will be in effect, foreshadowing that he will be on the court for less than 20 minutes.
This is just enough time for him to get a good feel of the pace against another professional team, even if they reside overseas, and find a groove that will help him lead the Clippers to a victory against the Utah Jazz on opening night.
That said, the wait is essentially over, as Thursday is just two days away, and the Clippers will face the Loong-Lions at 9:30 PM at Frontwave Arena.