Kawhi Leonard will Arrive Late to Orlando for NBA Restart
LA Clippers fans got a bit of a scare on Wednesday night when Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes tweeted that Kawhi Leonard did not travel with the rest of the team to Orlando for the NBA restart.
Fortunately, Leonard is merely tending to a family matter and will instead join the Clippers in a few days. He was permitted by the franchise to do so.
LA Times beat writer Andrew Greif confirmed Haynes' report, adding that the Clippers are still in the air on their way to Florida as of 8:16 p.m. EST.
It goes without saying that the Clippers would be in big trouble without Leonard in their quest for an NBA title. The superstar forward has averaged career-high marks across the board during his first season with LA, posting 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Unsurprisingly, he's maintained his standing as one of the best defenders in the NBA as well.
As previously stated, a majority of the Clippers traveling party flew to Orlando for the NBA restart on Wednesday. The team won't begin to practice until Friday, so Leonard has some time to make arrangements to fly.
However, Leonard isn't the only player that missed today's flight. Shooting guard Landry Shamet isn't traveling with the team yet either after testing positive for the coronavirus over the weekend. He'll still play in the resumed season, but he'll have to wait at least two weeks before he's cleared to travel.
The 23-year-old is one of the Clippers' most efficient shooters, connecting on 39.2% of his three-point attempts on the year.
The two may not be with the team just yet, but fans shouldn't worry about their availability for the seeding games or postseason.
