There was a ghost at the Clippers practice. The media caught a glimpse of Leonard. The Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register of Leonard filmed the shooting drills before the team began practicing. He asked reporters not to record him shooting, but they did. Andrew Grief told the Los Angeles Times that Leonard spent most of the day working on jab stepping with the injured right leg and planting with the healthy left one. He did some work planting left and going right. He said that Leonard's shot looked tight, but never moved at full speed. The OC Register's Mirjam Swanson reported that he went around the world from the 3-point line and made 64 of 85 shots. This is the first news on Leonard since early February, when Tyronn Lue said that he probably wouldn't come back this season, after partially tearing his right knee. Chris Haynes reported that Leonard's rehabilitation was ahead of schedule, and there was a chance that he could return this season. When asked about Leonard doing shooting drills, Lue said he didn't see him. A major Leonard injury is shrouded in mystery. He doesn't speak to the media much outside of required post-game interviews, and those close to him guard his information as though they were frat or sororities. The only time there was a leak was when he was traded from the San Antonio Spurs because of a quad injury. After the season blew up, Michael C. Wright and Ramona Shelburne came out with a report about how trust broke down after the Spurs were displeased with Leonard seeking medical opinions outside of the organization.
Try to find out more about his current injury. There are a lot of websites that appear in your results that you don't know about. Is it realistic to think that he could add to the Clippers if they win the play-in game and then face the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round?
He could get them through the first round. Leonard would be a problem for the Grizzles if they weren't from Southwest Tennessee or Northwest Mississippi. The Clippers have maintained a top 10 defensive rating without Leonard and George. George's injury was to his elbow, so he still has some time to adjust to NBA speed, and have athleticism to be the dependable defensive presence he has always been by the playoffs. Leonard's teammates were able to handle the defense and leave him to use his strength and jump shot to bully the team that has been to the playoffs only once since Tony Allen last played there.
They have the closer that no one can say they have, no matter how good Ja Morant looks once he returns from a knee injury that has kept him out of the lineup. In the first round of the playoffs, he was great against the Utah Jazz, but they lost in five games, and every single game that he was on the court.
The Clippers get through that and maybe Leonard feels a little better, as does George, and now it's the Golden State Warriors or Dallas Mavericks in Round 2, depending on which team gets the No. 3 seed. They will have a better chance against the Warriors, who have been battling injuries all season, than against the Mavericks, who have been on a tear since January, and have a target on the Clippers. Leonard won't be able to beat a Warriors team that lacks playoff experience, but they might be able to get past Luka Don and company.
Leonard has a month of playoff basketball under his belt if the Clippers get through that series. The Suns have played better than any other team in the NBA, but they haven't seen their division rival. It could be a fun series with George and Leonard facing off against Chris Paul and Booker.
The Western Conference playoffs will be more fun if Leonard comes back, and he could be added to the roster with George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and others. There are just two problems with it and it could work for the Clippers.
They have to beat the Wolves in the play-in and then face the Memphis in the first round. That's a lot to ask for a team that has already had one player come back from a Tommy John injury with no Tommy John surgery having been done on his shooting elbow, and now if their best player plays his first NBA minutes since anACL injury in this season. If the stars align, a comet could streak through the NBA.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
