Kawhi Leonard reaches key milestone in return-to-play plan for Clippers

It has been a long season of waiting for LA Clippers fans, and we are only a little over a month into the 2024-25 campaign. But the absence of Kawhi Leonard has been one of the biggest storylines surrounding this team since the offseason, and Clipper nation has been dying to see him back in uniform.

Even in his absence, the Clippers have been playing some fantastic basketball. Winning games with stellar team defense as well as some masterful individual performances from guys like Norman Powell and James Harden, LA has surprised many and remained in the playoff hunt.

But despite their success, the Clippers will not have a chance of winning a championship without their best player in the lineup. Fortunately, it appears they are one step closer to getting Leonard back on the floor. Tyronn Lue shared an update with media on Friday that is promising for Kawhi's return.

Ty Lue says Leonard has begun on-court workouts

According to the Clippers' head coach, Leonard has progressed to the point of being able to participate in on-court activities, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. "He's progressing well," said Lue. "He's been able to get on the court and do some things on the court, which is good for us.

"So just still checking every box, making sure that he's doing the right things and his workouts are really good and making sure we don't let him get to the next step until he checks those boxes, so our medical staff has done a great job with that, making sure that we make sure he's 100% when he comes back.”

It was not too long ago that we heard Leonard was only able to shoot "a little bit," so this kind of update is promising. Things are always going to be a bit veiled in secret when it comes to Kawhi's injuries, and the team is unlikely to take things too quickly with his recovery. Lue even said that the team is going to be certain he is at 100% before bringing him back.

With that in mind, Clippers fans are probably still in for a few weeks of waiting before they see their superstar back. But the transparency from the organization is nice to see, and it seems that things are moving along well.