Leonard’s Knee Treatment: A Battle Against Inflammation

A Cautious Approach to Leonard’s Recovery

Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers’ superstar, and the team’s medical unit have been tirelessly working on various treatment strategies to manage inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee since the previous season’s conclusion. Despite reduced inflammation, Leonard will sit out the drills in the forthcoming training camp to ensure complete strength restoration.

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president, expressed Tuesday that the swelling in Leonard’s knee has seen a “significant” reduction. However, Frank remained non-committal about Leonard’s readiness for the regular season, emphasizing that the recovery timeline largely depends on how his knee responds at each healing stage.

Path to Full Strength: Leonard and Clippers’ Game Plan

The Clippers and Leonard are striving to fully strengthen the knee to prevent a recurrence of the stubborn inflammation that restricted Leonard to only two games during the Mavericks’ six-game victory in the first playoff round.

Ty Lue, the Clippers’ coach, stated that there’s no definitive plan to incorporate Leonard into practices yet, highlighting that they’d rely on the team’s medical staff for guidance. Frank disclosed that the focus would be on strength training for Leonard’s knee before his return to the court.

Learning from Past Lessons

“We’re concentrating on strengthening and loading,” Frank shared, adding, “We’ve acquired some insights. He was eager to return and play in the Dallas series, and within a game and a half, the inflammation returned to unmanageable levels. We don’t want to repeat that scenario.”

Leonard’s Previous Injury and Recovery

Leonard missed the last eight regular-season games due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. He did manage to return for Games 2 and 3 against Dallas, only to miss the remaining three games of the Clippers’ first-round loss.

Despite the persistent inflammation, Leonard managed to participate in USA Basketball’s training camp in July, but was eventually replaced with Celtics point guard Derrick White.

Optimism Surrounding Leonard’s Recovery

Frank, referring to the present condition of Leonard’s knee, said, “We’ve got the knee in an excellent place.” He added, “It has been manageable post his return for the Dallas [playoffs], but we have really spent the offseason working to get this 100% and we’re inching closer.”

This season, the Clippers and Leonard are leaving no stone unturned to avoid inflammation from becoming a recurring problem. Frank, citing the progress made, said on Tuesday, “This was a real tricky thing in terms of the inflammation. We’re constantly seeking solutions, and with time we continue to learn more about what works, what hasn’t. Although it’s unfortunate that he’s had to cope with this, we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”