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By Matt Levine
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Clippers may have to prepare themselves for a reality without star forward Kawhi Leonard suiting up for their season-opening matchup. Leonard has been dealing with a nagging knee injury and his playing status is in doubt.
NBA insider Ohm Youngmisuk is reporting that it is doubtful that the Clippers star will take the court.
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Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been fairly nonchalant about it all, continuing to say that he isn't sure about Leonard's status.
This would be a massive loss for the Clippers to start the new season. They already lost star forward Paul George during free agency, leaving them with just Leonard and co-star James Harden to run the show.
Leonard was supposed to give this team a huge boost this coming year but his injury history is extremely concerning. He has played during the preseason but his status for opening night has been a massive topic of conversation around the organization.
"I feel good," Leonard said at halftime of the Clippers' 91-90 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. "Just been taking my time, getting stronger, and getting ready.
"... We're just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we'll see what they're talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs]."
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Leonard was supposed to be healthy this season but it seems that his injuries continue to mess with his availability. He played in 68 games last season, the most he has appeared in since the 2016-17 season.
When on the floor, Leonard was very effective for the Clippers. He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1. 6 steals per game.
Los Angeles may need to figure out something regarding Leonard because they can't continue to count on him throughout the different seasons. Even last season, with Leonard healthy for the majority of the year, he still ended up missing four of their six playoff games.
The Clippers were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the postseason, in part due to Leonard not playing. This news about the season opener is concerning, to say the least, but Los Angeles will have to push ahead.
The team opens the regular season at home against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23 and will likely be unveiling their new arena without their star forward.
For more Clippers news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.
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