Kawhi Leonard Out of Lineup, Los Angeles Clippers Showing Caution

All-Star frontward Kawhi Elmore John Leonard was eager to proceeds to the Los Angeles Clippers after missing all of lastly season spell recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, however, he might’ve rushed plunk for too soon. The Clippers testament donjon Elmore Leonard out of the lineup for an indefinite amount of time until he’s filly recovered from his rightfulness knee injury.

The Clippers played x games this season, but Elmore Leonard appeared inwards simply two. He has non suited up inwards deuce weeks due to soreness and stiffness inwards his right knee. The Clippers are 5-5 this season, but only when 3-4 since Leonard’s last game.

There’s really non a timeframe of when he’s going to live back,” said Clippers caput manager Ty Lue. “He’s progressing and getting better, so that’s the most important thing.”

Leonard suffered a part torn ACL inwards his right hand knee joint during the 2021 NBA playoffs against the UT Jazz. He underwent reconstructive knee joint surgery inward the summer of 2021, and he missed all of the 2021-22 season.

Lue: Unknown Timetable with Leonard

In the season-opener against the Lakers, Elmore Leonard scored 14 points and added heptad rebounds inward 21 proceedings away the bench. In an exertion to dungeon Elmore John Leonard fresh, he sat out the world-class leg of consecutive games and missed the endorse biz of the season. He utmost played against the capital of Arizona Suns two weeks ago scoring 11 points inwards 21 minutes.

We knew coming cancelled an ACL it wasn’t sledding to be a consecutive line,” added Lue. “We talked well-nigh it before the season. We’re just now sledding to come after the head of our medical staff. We got to follow smartness about the situation.”

In his deuce appearances this season, Elmore John Leonard averages 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. That’s way of life cancelled from the 25.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per gritty he averaged inward his foremost II full seasons with the Clippers.

Leonard looked rusty against the Lakers and Suns, which was expected after he missed all of utmost season. He gibe 16.7% from 3-point mountain chain so far, which was alarming considering he’s a calling 38.7% crap-shooter from deep.

Clippers Can’t Score

With Elmore John Leonard missing eighter games, the Clippers are the lowest-scoring team inward the NBA averaging 102.3 points per game. Their clampdown denial is keeping them in games, and the fillet of sole conclude they’re 5-5. They take into account simply 106.6 points per game for the fourth-best scoring defense force in the NBA.

If the Clippers anticipate to struggle for an NBA championship, they’ll need Dutch Leonard back up at full strength and falling 25-plus points per game.

Paul George II leads the Clippers averaging 24.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. George V missed 51 games in conclusion flavor with an articulatio cubiti injury, but bounced indorse without any lingering problems. Without Elmore Leonard for an unknown amount of time, Lue and the Clippers will rely to a great extent on George II inwards grind time.

I talked to Kahwi and said, ‘We got you,'” George told The Athletic. “‘Don’t vex almost all this. i got you.'”

The Clippers added former #1 pickax John the Divine Wall inwards the offseason to encouragement their bench scoring. Wall averages 12.8 points and 4.9 assists per game with the Clippers, but on a transactions restriction and not playing inwards consecutive games.

Long-range bombardment is a job for the Clippers crosswise the board. They’re ranked 25 out of 30 teams in 3-point shooting averaging 32% from beyond the arc. Wall is struggling from 3-point range shooting a career-low 21.4%.

Public Backed the Clippers in Offseason

With a 5-5 record, the Clippers are ranked #8 inward the horse opera Conference. The streaky Clippers missed tetrad games inward a row before they went on a three-game winning streak in conclusion week. The Jazz vanquish the Clippers on Sunday evening to finish their three-win surge.

With Elmore Leonard expected to payoff to total health this season, the Clippers were a pop pick to win the 2023 NBA championship. During the preseason, the Clippers were one of tierce co-favorites at DraftKings to win the rubric at +600 odds. The defending-champion Golden State Warriors and the capital of Massachusetts Celtics, who were the runner-up at the 2022 NBA Finals, also had the same betting odds as the Clippers.

The Milwaukee Bucks experience yet to a turn a loss a biz after a 9-0 start. The Bucks are the consensus betting favorite to win the championship at +550 betting odds over at DraftKings. The Celtics are at present +600 odds to win the title, followed past the Warriors at +650, and the Clippers at +700.

A couplet of weeks into the season, bettors stepped dorsum from betting the Clippers after their slacken start. The Clippers failed to unrecorded upwardly to preseason expectations, and posted a 3-7 track record against the spread.

NBA totals bettors jumped out to a profitable harden fading the Clippers with Dutch Leonard making myopic stints in just now two games. The under points amount is 9-1 inward Clippers’ games this season.