The Los Angeles Clippers’ run to the Western Conference Finals happened in part without Kawhi Leonard. The team’s All-NBA forward suffered a knee injury during the team’s second round series against the Utah Jazz, and while they were able to come out on top in that matchup, they ultimately did not have the firepower with Leonard on the sideline to beat the Phoenix Suns.
While we did not know exactly what happened to Leonard, the injury to his knee was bad enough that he didn’t play with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line. And on Tuesday evening, we finally got an answer as to what happened, as the Clippers announced that Leonard needed to have surgery on his knee to repair an ACL that he partially tore. The good news, per the team, is that surgery went well.
“Kawhi Leonard underwent successful surgery today to repair a partial tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament,” the team announced. “There is no timetable for his return.”
Leonard has the potential to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, although it’s unclear whether this would have any impact on his plans during the offseason. A first-team All-NBA selection this year, Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in 34.1 minutes per game.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/kawhi-leonard-clippers-knee-injury-update-surgery-acl-tear/