Clippers Now Have a New Kawhi Leonard Injury Concern

Kawhi Leonard left the Clippers' loss to the Lakers early with an ankle injury.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Lakers after a hard-fought battle on Friday night. Missing the opportunity to get one over their rivals while improving to .500 for the first time in three months certainly hurts, but it's the least of the Clippers' concerns right now.

With four and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kawhi Leonard told head coach Ty Lue that he couldn't keep playing and was seen favoring his right foot. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game with left ankle soreness. The Clippers put up an admirable fight and had the chance to tie the game in regulation, but came up short.

After the game, Lue addressed Leonard's early exit. He said that the star forward was dealing with ankle soreness going into the game and "it got stiff on him," per Clippers insider Joey Linn. Lue didn't elaborate any further, and we don't have any more details about the situation as of Saturday morning.

Kawhi Leonard's Availability Going Forward Is Uncertain

Lue had said that Leonard was on a 36-minute cap after the All-Star break, but he was not on any restrictions in back-to-backs. He was not on the injury report heading into the Lakers game, so Lue's remarks about Leonard dealing with an ankle soreness were certainly surprising.

Once the Clippers reveal their injury report for Sunday's clash against the Orlando Magic, we should have a better idea of Leonard's availability going forward.

Clippers fans understandably fear the worst when it comes to Leonard and injuries. The Clippers are famously non-transparent when it comes to their superstar's injuries, and the fanbase has been burned far too many times. Seemingly innocuous injuries have previously sidelined Leonard for a long time, so Clippers fans will have to hope that it is not the case this time around.

Leonard has been mostly healthy this season, playing in 43 of the Clippers' 56 games. He missed ten games with a right ankle sprain in November. He twisted the same ankle again in January in New York, but was able to play through the injury, albeit on a minutes restriction. Later in January, he skipped the team's East Coast road trip with a knee contusion. After his return on January 22nd, Leonard has been on a tear once again.

This is the first left ankle issue Leonard is dealing with this season. Hopefully, his early exit on Friday was more precautionary than anything, but the fans will be holding their breath until the Clippers provide further information.