Kawhi Leonard, the star forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, will be making his return to the court on Wednesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Leonard has been sidelined since March 31 with right knee inflammation, but he has been cleared to play without any minutes restriction. This is good news for the Clippers, who are looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Leonard has struggled with his health in recent postseasons with the Clippers. In 2021, he tore his ACL in the second round of the playoffs and missed the rest of the postseason and the subsequent regular season. Last year, he tore his meniscus in the first round, sitting out after two games.
This season has been Leonard’s healthiest in years, with Leonard playing 68 games, his most since 2016-17. So it made sense that the Clippers and Leonard would have been cautious bringing him back.
The Mavericks will have their hands full with Leonard on the court. He is one of the best playoff performers in the league, and he will be looking to make a big impact in his return. The Mavericks will need to find a way to slow him down if they want to even the series.
