Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard’s injury: “He still needs some time”
Leonard will miss his sixth straight game due to a foot injury. Frank, the Clippers’ President of Basketball Operations, shed light on the situation involving the former Spurs star
For the Clippers, the road trip begins under the sign of their biggest absence. Kawhi Leonard, once again sidelined, will miss his sixth consecutive game just as Los Angeles opens a long seven-game stretch away from home.
And without him, the team already looks like it’s falling apart: six straight losses, a standings position that’s starting to creak, and the news that Bradley Beal’s season is over due to a hip fracture.
Before the game – which the Clippers then lost to Denver because of Nikola Jokic’s 55-point explosion – Lawrence Frank tried to reassure everyone, but the overall picture is far from simple. It’s not just the “usual” ankle sprain: the injury suffered against the Miami Heat also triggered a foot issue.
The ankle set off the problem in the foot. We consulted three different doctors, as we always do with our players’ injuries, and they all agreed on the diagnosis. He simply needs some time: reduce the inflammation and then gradually get back to on-court work. He’s undergoing two or three therapy sessions a day, but it’s going to take a little time
Lawrence Frank
Three doctors consulted, all in agreement: time, patience, and a mountain of daily treatments – three per day, to be exact. Still, Kawhi boarded the plane with the team. And that, at least, is something.
The schedule won’t help: Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Orlando, Charlotte, Cleveland, and finally the Lakers. A true gauntlet, with a Celtics-Sixers back-to-back that gives almost no breathing room. But there are also two off-days before the Orlando game, a small luxury in a tough November stretch.
The hope for the Clippers is that Leonard will soon be back on the court to bring order to a team that struggles to recognize itself without him and has slipped to 12th in the Western Conference. For now, the mission is survival. The rest will come along the way.