Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Says He's 'Ready to Go' After Knee Injury Recovery

The Los Angeles Clippers got the best news they could hope for ahead of their Wednesday season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"I feel good and I'm ready to go," Kawhi Leonard, who underwent surgery for a torn ACL in July 2021 and another procedure for a torn meniscus in June of this year, said Tuesday, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

"I think last year came off of ACL, so pretty much it's like a two-year process. Talking to guys [who suffered ACL injuries] and seeing when they do start feeling good or just trusting your knee, it's just something that you feel and I mean one day just turns around for you. So it wasn't really nothing too different."

Having Leonard "ready to go" at the start of the season is something new for the Clippers.

Youngmisuk noted this will be the first time in Tyronn Lue's four seasons as the team's head coach that the star will not be absent or limited because of an injury during the opener.

Those injuries to Leonard and Paul George have prevented the Clippers from reaching their championship expectations since they paired the two stars together ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Leonard is yet to play more than 57 games in a season for Los Angeles, missed the 2021-22 campaign because of a torn ACL, sat out the 2021 Western Conference Finals because of the setback and then missed the end of last season's loss to the Phoenix Suns in the first round because of the meniscus injury.

George hasn't played more than 56 games in a season for the Clippers and missed the entire first-round loss to the Suns.

While the Denver Nuggets are kings of the NBA after winning the championship, the Western Conference could be relatively wide open behind them. If Leonard and George can finally stay healthy and thrive together, Los Angeles figures to be one of the reigning champions' biggest threats.

Leonard is at least starting off on the right foot.