The Clippers have bad news in the playoffs, and Leonard could be out for the season
The Los Angeles Clippers entered the playoffs in 2023-24 with a top-five finish in the Western Conference regular season. It seems a little difficult for the Clippers to go far in the playoffs this season. In the playoffs of the 2022-23 season, they were eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
At the time, Paul George was injured in the regular season and missed the playoffs. Although there are still Leonard and Wei Shao, Leonard played a few games in the first round of the playoffs, and he was directly injured and reimbursed for the season. Wei Shao was left to lead the team, and in the end, the team was eliminated in a fiasco. Now that the 2023-24 playoffs have even begun, they are plagued by injuries, which makes their playoff journey full of doubts.
According to NBA analyst Chris Brussard, Leonard, the number one star of the Los Angeles Clippers, has not played since March 31 because he has a swollen knee that prevents him from continuing to play.
"I just got in touch with people in the know, and they said the Clippers were concerned about it, and they said he had a very swollen knee. ”
Since Leonard missed the game with an injury, the Clippers have not officially given a specific reason for the injury, and Leonard's status has not been publicly updated. Tyronn Lue also gave an ambiguous answer to the outside world's questions.
Asked about Leonard's injury, Tyronn Lue said: "He's been doing a little bit of something... I'm not going to tell you anything. He's feeling good, he's feeling good. ”
The Los Angeles Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, and they will be in great need of Leonard's offense and defense. If Leonard misses the playoffs this season, it will be difficult for the Clippers to succeed in the playoffs.
Leonard has averaged 32.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in his last 13 games. He's a key figure in the team's top-five finish in the West, and he has excellent playoff experience, including championships with the Spurs and Raptors.
Luka Doncic is also experienced against the Clippers, averaging 33.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game against the Clippers in the playoffs. Although Luka Doncic led the team to fail to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoff series, Luka Doncic is favored to beat each other this season.
The Clippers' starting and bench lineups this season are very good, and it can be said that they are much better than the Lakers in the same city. However, Leonard's injury could be an obstacle for them to go further in the playoffs.