After nine months, LA Clippers fans finally saw Kawhi Leonard play again. After a tough recovery from a knee injury, he returned on Saturday night to help the Clippers win against the Atlanta Hawks. The team’s dominant victory under Lenorad’s leadership is truly remarkable.
Kawhi Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season but finally returned to play for the Clippers. He teased he would return, and when he did, he played 19 minutes and scored 12 points, helping the Clippers win 131-105 with a 21-15 record. When he entered the starting lineup, the crowd at the Intuit Dome cheered loudly.
His impact has been visible since the beginning when Leonard made a 3-pointer on his first shot to tie the game at 5-5. Even though he limited how long he could play, he still made a big impact with 4-of-11 shooting, three 3-pointers, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
GAME RECAP ⏪
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 5, 2025
Kawhi Leonard had a great game in his season debut despite being on limited minutes as he led the Clippers to a 131-105 win over the Hawks last night:
📊 12 PTS | 4-11 FG | 3-5 3PT | 3 REB | 1 STL | +22 +/- | 19 MINS
Great to see the Klaw back in action! 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/6cUlm6JvlN
Leonard’s return is a significant boost for the Clippers, who have managed to stay afloat with a 20-15 record without him. The Clippers expect to be a stronger contender in the Western Conference with Leonard back in the lineup.
Kawhi Leonard opens up on his Clippers season debut
Kawhi Leonard’s return was something NBA fans have been waiting for a long time. Not just his fans, but Leonard himself was also excited to come back. After nine months, he finally got the chance to play and be part of the winning team. He feels happy and thankful to be back on the court.
He said, “We did the right steps to get me to this point. Playing basketball was the easy part of it. This is what I love to do. The hard part is not playing and having the rehab and not competing with my teammates.”
Kawhi Leonard on his Clippers’ return:
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 5, 2025
“We're still easing me into the game. We're on nobody's timetable. Anybody watching that. wants to see me score 20, 30 points, or be aggressive, we are not on no one's time-frame. We know what's ahead of us and we have to keep building in… pic.twitter.com/f3fjVj7fRo
About his next goal of playing in the playoffs and further improvement, Kawhi said,”We know what’s ahead of us, and we have to keep building in the right direction. So, we’re facing it like it was a preseason game tonight, and we’ll keep moving the same way until I’m able to build up my minutes.”
