\n
\nLOS ANGELES: Kawhi Leonard has been cleared for 5-on-5 basketball again, more than a year since his last NBA game.<\/p>\n
\nLos Angeles Clippers President Lawrence Frank said Thursday that the team will proceed with some caution with Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP and five-time All-Star who tore the ACL in his right knee during the playoffs in June 2021.<\/p>\n
\nLeonard missed the remainder of that postseason, and the entirety of this past season.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWell, I think, one, he feels great,\u201d Frank told reporters in Los Angeles. \u201cTwo, his plan is, look, he wants to participate in everything. And I think, three, organizationally, we\u2019re going to be cautious. So it will be a step-by-step approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nLeonard being cleared was expected, given how long he has been sidelined and the typical time it takes to recover from ACL surgery. But it still is a major step for the Clippers, who believe they can contend for a championship this season if healthy.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou want those expectations,\u201d Frank said. \u201cAny time you have a talented team, there should be expectations. You embrace them, and you always have to shoot for the highest goal. Our goal is not just to try to compete and win a championship this year, but be in the same position the following year and the following year after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThere was other positive injury news from Frank on Thursday. He said forward Paul George\u2019s elbow injury \u2014 one that limited him to 31 games last season \u2014 is also a thing of the past. Frank also said George was crucial to the Clippers\u2019 recruitment of former All-Star guard John Wall, who signed with the team with hopes of reviving his career after a long series of injuries.<\/p>\n
\nWall was selected for the All-Star Game in five consecutive seasons from 2014 through 2018, but has played in only 82 games since. He had surgery for bone spurs in his left heel, then tore his left Achilles tendon.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPaul, his elbow is 100 percent healthy,\u201d Frank said. \u201cPaul has had an extremely purposeful, driven, and very productive offseason, in that his consistency of training has been off the charts. Plus, he continues to take more and more of an ownership and leadership role.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nLeonard already has two championships \u2014 in 2014 with San Antonio, and in 2019 with Toronto. He was MVP in both of those title series.<\/p>\n
\nThe Clippers, though, are still chasing what would be the franchise\u2019s first title. The closest they\u2019ve gotten was in 2021, when they made the Western Conference finals for the first time. But Leonard had gotten hurt in the previous series against Utah, and the Clippers lost that West title matchup to Phoenix in six games. The Suns went on to lose that season\u2019s NBA Finals to Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe all embrace the challenge but realize how fragile it is,\u201d Frank said. \u201cAll we have to do is go back two years ago to Kawhi\u2019s injury against Utah. Kawhi was playing the best basketball of any player in the world. Our team was playing at a high level. Unfortunately for Kawhi and for the group, he got injured. I think with that, it reinforces the urgency you have to approach every single day. Nothing is guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe Clippers will hold their media day Monday, then travel to Las Vegas for the start of training camp on Tuesday. Their first preseason game \u2014 and possibly, Leonard\u2019s first game action since those 2021 playoffs \u2014 is Sept. 30, in Seattle, against Israeli club Maccabi Ra\u2019anana.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cKawhi\u2019s done a lot of controlled basketball for a long time,\u201d Frank said. \u201cThough 5-on-5 is viewed to the layman as a benchmark, it\u2019s more complicated than that. Ultimately, he keeps trending toward being able to play in an NBA basketball game, and so he\u2019ll just continue to take those steps in camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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