Kawhi practices, but Clippers not rushing a return

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, sidelined all season because of inflammation in his right knee, returned to practice Tuesday, coach Ty Lue said. Leonard could return to game action within the next two weeks, barring any setbacks, sources told ESPN.

It was the first time Leonard, 33, had practiced with the team since last season. Leonard’s knee also caused him to bow out of the Paris Olympics in the summer after originally being selected to play for Team USA.

“He did offensive script, defensive work, and just no contact,” Lue said. “But he did it pretty much everything else.”

Leonard could be seen leaning against a basketball stanchion after practice while James Harden and Kris Dunn got in extra shooting, but he did not speak to reporters.

Lue said Leonard looked good and added that his presence gave the team a lift. The Clippers have lost three out of their past five games and on Tuesday announced that Derrick Jones Jr. has a right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

“Really good sign, just seeing him out there moving, moving well,” Lue said. “I think the biggest thing for him is just the confidence in it. Just having the confidence to keep doing it, not to feel the pain, and just continue to keep getting through it.

“So, it was good to see him on the floor and it gave us a little juice today just for our guys seeing him on the floor, it really picked up our energy.”

Without Leonard, the Clippers have been a surprise success story so far, starting the season 14-11 — sixth place in the Western Conference. They have the No. 6 defensive rating in the league, allowing 108.5 points per 100 possessions. Norman Powell has also been an early surprise after increasing his scoring average from 13.9 points last season to 23.6 points this season in a starting role, generating early Most Improved Player consideration.

“I give our guys credit, our players, no matter who’s been here, when guys have been out, we always feel like we have a chance to win and so just go on the floor every single night,” Lue said. “Just finding ways to win. It’s not going to be the same every night. It could be different every single night, but just trying to find ways to win, trying to find combinations to win. I give our guys credit, they’ve done that.”

Lue said the team would continue to be patient with the process as Leonard inches closer to a return.

“He’s got to do a lot more things to really get back on the floor,” Lue said. “We just want to make sure he’s 100%. We don’t want to get him out there, 70%, 75%. Like, let’s just take our time, make sure we get it right. … We’re not going to let him skip steps, and so we want to do right by Kawhi.”

Lue credited Leonard’s mentality with injuries taking their toll on his body. He sat out the entire 2021-22 season because of a torn ACL in his right knee and has missed 204 of a possible 460 games since joining the Clippers in 2019.

“I’m just happy he’s doing it again, he’s getting close and he’s really in a good space mentally,” Lue said. “So he’s just got to stay with it, stay with the program. Can’t get frustrated trying to rush back.”

And while the Clippers will gladly welcome the two-time Finals MVP version of Leonard they signed as a free agent in 2018, there’s no expectation for him to be that player as soon as he’s back in the lineup.

“At some point, not right away,” Lue said. “But at some point, we need him to be Kawhi Leonard. And I think he can do that. And just seeing the year he had last year — 68 games and how he played at a high level. He was really, really playing at a high level. So we just got to get him back to that.”