PLAYA VISTA — Clarity over Kawhi Leonard’s availability became slightly murkier Thursday when it was disclosed that the two-time NBA Finals MVP was still dealing with inflammation in his right knee.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said Leonard continues to “do everything” possible to play in the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. He said Leonard is “questionable” for Sunday’s Game 1.
“Our medical staff is doing everything to get the inflammation down so he can play. Progress has been made, but more progress needs (to happen),” Frank said. “The inflammation needs to continue to reduce so he can do functional basketball movements.”
Frank sounded hopeful, though, that Leonard could be ready to play despite the lack of conditioning.
“It’s Thursday though, right? So, in terms of where we’re heading, is it possible he could play? Sure, it’s possible,” Frank said. “It’s Thursday. And like I said, with each day we’ll know more and more.”
Leonard first experienced soreness in his surgically repaired knee after the Clippers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 31, and missed the final eight regular-season games. Three days before Game 1, he still has not participated in full-contact drills or started any physical ramp-up.
“Inflammation’s unpredictable, so we’d love to have a crystal ball and Kawhi would love to have a crystal ball and know exactly on this day (he will be ready),” Frank said. “But you just control what you can control and hopefully the inflammation reduces in a short amount of time and he’s back on the court. That’s the goal.”
Frank declined to comment on a report that Leonard received a cortisone injection to the knee that would aid in his recovery in early April, saying that the team is doing “everything we can medically” to get him back on the court.
The All-Star forward was enjoying his healthiest season since arriving in Los Angeles, playing 68 games, the most since he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2016-17. He was averaging a career-high 34.3 minutes this season.
Frank said there is nothing structurally wrong with Leonard’s knee and the inflammation has nothing to do with the anterior cruciate ligament tear in 2021 or the injury to his meniscus last season.
Leonard played in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series last season against the Phoenix Suns, averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists, then missed the last three games because of a torn meniscus. Without him and fellow All-Star Paul George, the Clippers were eliminated by the Suns in five games.
Meanwhile, Coach Tyronn Lue continues to practice with or without their star forward. He said the Clippers (51-31) have gone over a lot of plays and schemes in the past three days to prepare for the Mavericks (50-32) and are “locked in.”
“You don’t want to do too much where their brain’s overcrowded,” Lue said. “We’ve done different things, worked on some adjustments that we need to make if we got to do it throughout the course of the game.
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“But we’ve done a lot and they’ve been locked in and so pretty sharp what we’re doing. Today, we’ll hit it again and then take off tomorrow and then Saturday we just come back and just go through everything offensively and defensively and be ready to go on Sunday.”
If by some outside chance Leonard does become available during the best-of-seven series, Lue will be ready. Adjustments are part of the game, especially at this point of the season.
“You got to be able to adjust and I’m big on that, especially in the playoffs,” Lue said. “You got to be able to have different things in your bag to try and to do to keep a team off balance.”
No. 4 CLIPPERS vs. No. 5 DALLAS MAVERICKS
Series schedule, all times PT
Game 1: Sunday, at Clippers, 12:30 p.m. (ABC/Ch. 7)
Game 2: Tuesday, at Clippers, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3: Friday, April 26, at Dallas, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 28, at Dallas, 12:30 p.m. (ABC/Ch. 7)
Game 5 (if nec.): Wednesday, May 1, at Clippers
Game 6 (if nec.): Friday, May 3, at Dallas
Game 7 (if nec.): Sunday, May 5, at Clippers