Kawhi Leonard Not Cleared for Contact

Clippers head coach Ty Lue gave a Kawhi update.

Kawhi Leonard set the internet on fire a little bit when he was spotted shooting threes before the LA Clippers vs Golden State Warriors game.

Kawhi Leonard out on the court a couple hours before tip in SF going through a shooting routine. Playoffs five weeks away. pic.twitter.com/P871PHfR40

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 9, 2022

Ty Lue loves playing coy when being asked about Kawhi Leonard, so he naturally said that he "didn't see" Leonard shooting on the court. However, when Lue was asked further, he gave a small update about Kawhi. Clippers head coach stated that Kawhi Leonard is not cleared for contact yet. He also mentioned that Kawhi Leonard is not cleared for 1-on-1 play yet.

The saga of following Kawhi Leonard's ACL injury has been a strange one. When the season started, there was nothing but talks of optimism and Leonard being ahead of schedule. Those talks remained even up until January, as Chris Haynes reported it on a broadcast as well. However, Ty Lue mentioned that Kawhi was "probably not" returning around February. 

Seeing Leonard get shots up on the court is only a good thing, especially when he's doing it publicly on the road; it's very easy to get overly excited about seeing the footage. However, it still doesn't mean that he is or isn't returning this season. There isn't that much time for a return to happen, which includes numerous steps of ramping up. If Kawhi Leonard does return though, it'll immediately propel the Clippers to be a championship favorite this season.

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