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Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has confirmed that Kawhi Leonard's recovery is going well, but noted they are still taking a very cautious approach. Leonard, a five-time NBA All-Star, suffered a torn ACL during the 2021 NBA playoffs.
After missing all of last season, Leonard is expected to be ready for the start of this upcoming season. "He feels great," Frank said, per ESPN. "His plan is, look, he wants to participate in everything. And I think organizationally, we're going to be cautious.
So it will be a step-by-step approach. He is cleared. For him, he'll say, look, I want to do everything. Again, we'll be very cautious in the approach."
Frank underlines the Clippers are taking a cautious approach with Leonard
The Clippers are set to play their first preseason game on September 30.
Their second preseason game is scheduled for October 03. Leonard is doing well, but the Clippers do not want yet to speak about his availability for those two preseason games. "When you're dealing with a major injury, you can't predict," Frank said.
"I know with him, he wants to do everything, but we'll just kind of let's see how he feels each day. We have an outstanding medical team, and we're playing the long game with it. So we're not going to get into predictions, what he will do or he won't do.
We'll figure out, is that best for his body? One day it may be. The next day, we'll have to reassess. We'll rely on the feedback we get from Kawhi, obviously from the medical team. It's too early to predict. We have time before we need to get there." The Clippers were derailed by injuries last season.
Now, they are in a much better place as their star duo, Leonard and Paul George, are set to be ready for the start of this season.