Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard watches the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — After what Kawhi Leonard has been through over the past nine months, returning to the court for the Los Angeles Clippers was the easy part.
Leonard played 19 minutes and scored 12 points in his season debut Saturday night to help the Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 131-105.
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The six-time All-Star forward missed the Clippers’ first 34 games due to what the team described as healing from a right knee injury. It was his first NBA game since Game 3 of the Clippers’ NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series against Dallas on April 26.
READ: NBA: Kawhi Leonard returns, the Clippers overtake the Hawks
“We took the right steps to get me to this point,” Leonard said. “Playing basketball was the easy part. This is what I like to do. The hardest part is not playing, going through rehabilitation and not competing with my teammates.
Leonard was in the starting lineup and received a giant round of applause from the crowd at the Intuit Dome during his presentation. He scored a 3-pointer on his first shot from the left wing with 9:57 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 5-all.
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Leonard was 4 of 11 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, along with three rebounds and an assist.
Leonard and coach Tyronn Lue have emphasized taking it slow while Leonard gets in shape.
“I took the photos I had. Anyone watching this wants me to score 20 or 30 points and be aggressive, we’re not on anyone’s schedule,” Leonard said. “We know what lies ahead and we must continue to build in the right direction. We played it like a pre-season game tonight and we will continue to move forward in the same way until I am able to accumulate my minutes.
Lue, who did not say how long Leonard would be on a minutes restriction, felt that Leonard’s first game went well and that having him on the court made things easier for everyone.
“I just want him to take it easy.” I didn’t want to force feed him. I thought our guys did a good job of not just watching him play and continuing to play the game,” Lue said. “It was good to have him, now we just have to keep building on that.”
READ: NBA: Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers out indefinitely due to knee injury
Leonard has missed 290 regular season games over the past eight years, including the entire 2021-22 season due to knee issues after being injured in the 2021 Western Conference semifinals against Utah.
If Saturday’s game was any indication, a full Clippers team could surprise some people in the Western Conference. LA led the way in the second quarter and led at one point by 27 points.
“With Kawhi on the floor, he can get so much attention, double teams and things like that. I’m finally able to get catch-and-shoot 3s, play rotation, be able to attack the basket, so it’s a lot easier,” said guard Norman Powell, who had 20 points.
“And just defensively, where we’ve played and our defensive identity this year even before Kawhi came out today, I think it suits him perfectly and makes it difficult for teams because we have so many guys that can change, guard and defend one-on-one player and now you have the help side, so I’m really excited in the first game he looked really good, so keep building on that.
The Clippers are 20-15 and in seventh place in the Western Conference. However, only 2 1/2 games separate the second through seventh place teams. After Paul George signed with Philadelphia and Leonard missed the first part of the season, the Clippers did not expect the Clippers to be five games above .500 at this point.
Lue stressed, however, that there was still much of the regular season to play.
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“There is a lot of room for improvement. We can improve,” he said. “Our guys did a great job. James (Harden), Norm and Zu (Ivica Zubac) have really done a good job of just showing their veteran leadership but also carrying this team. All we have to do now is be prepared to build on that foundation. We did a good job of staying the course until Kawhi returned, but now we have to continue to take the next steps to be a great team.
