National Basketball Association

Kawhi Leonard's return will define the Clippers' success in 2021-22

Published Sep. 28, 2021 8:34 p.m. ET

Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers' 2020-21 season was the epitome of "what if?"

What if Leonard didn't go out with an ACL tear in the middle of the Clippers' Western Conference finals matchup with the Utah Jazz? How far would his presence have been able to catapult them? What if the Clippers had gone to the Finals? Could they have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks?

The basketball universe will never know.

Leonard has been the centerpiece of the Clippers franchise since he sent shockwaves through the NBA with the July 2019 announcement that he would link up with Paul George in La La Land. That came just months after Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title.

But two seasons in, despite some playoff success, the Clippers don't have much to show for landing Leonard and George. And coming into this season, L.A. has another roadblock in its path to success: Leonard's ACL injury and subsequent absence.

Leonard, who turned 30 in June, is hoping to return in 2021 after sitting out the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign to rehab his knee. But he declined to give a timetable during his team's media availability Monday, and there is still the possibility that he does not play at all this season.

"It's very challenging," he said when asked about his day-to-day process. "… Just day-to-day. Just working with the staff day-to-day, and then when that available date comes, we'll be ready for it, and it'll be out in the public."

In August, Leonard signed a four-year, $176.3 million deal with the team, and he explained why at media day, saying that he preferred the long-term security, given his latest injury.

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Can Leonard pull off the miraculous and return from an ACL tear this season? And what would that mean for the Clippers?

Skip Bayless addressed the Clippers' title hopes Tuesday, saying that he believes Leonard is coming back this season — and thinks the league should be on notice, specifically LeBron James.

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Shannon Sharpe's reaction?

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Sharpe, who referenced Leonard's past and the rocky end to his tenure in San Antonio, when he sat out a number of games while vying for a trade from the Spurs.

"When have we seen him play when he's not 100, 1,000 percent healthy?" he said. "This is the same Kawhi Leonard we've seen for the past 10 years. He told us he wouldn't be playing if the money wasn't locked in. Even with him penciled in, they're not going to be favored over the Bucks, Nets or the Lakers."

If not when Leonard will take the floor again, one thing's for sure: With his latest extension and latest fashion choices …

… he seems to be all-in with the Clippers franchise.

Whether that means a title will make its way back to L.A. — the other L.A. — will depend mostly on Leonard's health.

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