Still deprived of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers nevertheless continue to remain competitive and we say to ourselves that they could make noise at the end of the season in the event of the return of their stars. However, the more we advance, the more we have the impression that this scenario loses credibility.
Kawhi Leonard has not played a single game this season following his partial tearing of a knee ligament during the last Playoffs. As for Paul George, he has been out since December 22 because of an elbow injury. But the Clippers are there, with a perfectly balanced record (27 wins – 27 losses) synonymous with eighth place in the West and therefore a minimum play-in tournament. Under the impetus of a Tyronn Lue who manages to get the best out of a necessarily limited group today but who never lets go, Los Angeles represents one of the intriguing teams of the end of the season. Imagine if Kawhi and Paulo return to be operational for the Playoffs, immediately that can change two or three things in a fairly open Western Conference, especially behind Phoenix and Golden State. The fact that the Clips continue to fight and hold on could also provide additional motivation for the star duo. But obviously, if we believe the words of Ty Lue, it is not too much towards this direction that we are heading. In a post-match press conference yesterday, following the Los Angeles derby, Clippers coach says Kawhi ‘probably won’t return this season’. Given the tone used and knowing that he placed this sentence in the middle of an answer concerning a more general question on the solidarity of the team, it looks more like a feeling than a real info. But it shows that the Clips locker room does not necessarily count on the return of the Fun Guy this year. And it may be an indicator in relation to Kawhi’s rehabilitation…
Concerning Paul George, uncertainty continues to reign. A few weeks ago, we put forward the scenario of an end of season for PG-13 and even if we are not there yet for the moment, we cannot exclude it. Via ESPN, Ty Lue said Paulo will go for an MRI on his elbow on February 24. We are therefore already leaving for a minimum of three weeks of absence. Nobody can say today if George will be able to return to the field after the All-Star Break. On the other hand, if, for example, he has to go on the operating table and thus give up on the rest of the 2021-22 campaign, we imagine that this will drastically reduce the chances of seeing Kawhi again this season, despite the fact that he seems ahead of his rehabilitation schedule. Because it’s hard to see Leonard coming back for anything other than a big push in the Playoffs. And to make a big push in the Playoffs, it will take everyone. On the sidelines of all this, we will also monitor the potential movements of the Clippers at the trade deadline because they could also give us some indications on the direction taken by the franchise this year. Will they recruit to improve the team? Or on the contrary, will they let go of a few veterans to develop the young people? To have.
No scenario has been ruled out for the moment, but we would not bet on the one where we find Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the floors for the next Playoffs. We hope to be wrong…
Text source: ESPN
“Yeah I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. But hope is stronger than fear. So I’m hoping every night that these two guys can come back, but you never know. That’s all I have to say, have a good night.”
Tyronn Lue on a follow up on saying Kawhi Leonard is probably not coming back. pic.twitter.com/ZbVgvPnjMK
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 4, 2022
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