NBA Rumors: Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Targeting January 4 Return from Knee Injury

Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard could be just a week away from making his return to the court.

The veteran wing is targeting Saturday, Jan. 4 against the Atlanta Hawks for his season debut, per Law Murray of The Athletic.

Leonard returned to practice for the first time this season on Dec. 10 amid his recovery from inflammation in his right knee, but he was still not cleared for contact. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported at the time that he "could return to game action within the next two weeks, barring any setbacks."

The ongoing knee issues also caused Leonard to withdraw from the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics this past summer.

Since joining the Clippers in 2019, Leonard has missed 210 of a possible 467 games due to various injuries. A torn ACL forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 campaign. His 68 games played in 2023-24 were his most since he played 74 games in 2016-17 when he was still with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he missed four out of six games in Los Angeles' first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.

When healthy, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in all of basketball. The 33-year-old has won two NBA championships with the Spurs and Toronto Raptors and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. He earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards, seven All-Defensive selections, six All-Star selections and six All-NBA honors.

The Clippers rank seventh in the Western Conference with a 17-12 record, so getting Leonard back will boost their chances of competing for a playoff spot. Veteran guards James Harden and Norman Powell have steadied the ship in his absence, but he'll add another dimension to the team when he returns.