On October 18, Beijing time, according to Shams, sources revealed that Clippers star Leonard is expected to be out indefinitely at the start of the new NBA season because he will undergo rehabilitation treatment for inflammation in his right knee. The Clippers want Leonard to stay healthy for the long term after his return, so they won't rush him back.

The small card has an indefinite truce and Harden will take on more responsibility

The 33-year-old Leonard did not play in the entire preseason games of the Clippers or participated in any activities during training camp that involved on-court confrontations.

"He's not involved in our day-to-day work," Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after the previous day's practice. "I know the team keeps saying we're going to be patient with him, so he's doing everything he can to rehab and strengthen his knee with our medical team. We can only deal with existing players. ”

In Leonard's absence, James Harden will take on most of the offensive load and become the leader of the team. Harden feels more at home after a full training camp this season. Last season, Harden was traded from the 76ers to the Clippers at the start of the season and had to adapt to his teammates during the season.

Now that George is gone to the 76ers and Westbrook is joining the Nuggets, Harden will try to be the playmaker of the likes of Zubac, Powell and Mann.

Harden has said that Leonard needs to spend as much time as possible getting back and staying healthy late in the season.

Inflammation of the knee began half a year ago

Leonard's right knee inflammation began after beating the Hornets on April 1. At the time, he missed the final eight games of the regular season and played only two games against the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.

Since the end of last season, Leonard has undergone various medical treatments to control inflammation. Frank, president of basketball operations, said at the start of training camp that the inflammation in the small card has significantly reduced since last season's playoffs, but the team wants the team's star to recover 100% of his knee and will take every precaution.

When asked if he needed to deal with inflammation for the rest of his career, Leonard said it was possible, but medical staff had better controlled it and tried to make sure it wouldn't be the case.

He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and has missed 179 of the 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019.

He played in 52 regular season games in the 2022-23 season. After tearing the right meniscus in the first round of the 2023 playoffs series against the Suns, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games last season — his most since the 2016-17 season — averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Perkins: Jr. should consider retiring

The news that Xiaoka will have an indefinite truce has aroused heated discussions among insiders.

"Here's what I think: I think you're barely seeing Kawhi Leonard this year," Tim Leegler said, "and it's been six months since we last saw him trying to fight hard in the playoff series against Dallas and not being able to play, and he's barely had any activity for six months, just working around this, and he's got inflammation...... That's a really bad sign for the Clippers and even worse for Kawhi Leonard himself.

Perkins also weighed in. "I think it's time for that unpleasant, difficult conversation," he said. "It's not a hot topic. But when you think about his history...... Every season, when it comes to Leonard's health, it's an issue. Not only does he need to sit down with the Clippers, but he also needs to sit down with his family. I really think Leonard should consider retiring. ”

After saying that, Perkins reiterated that he was a fan of Xiaoka, but he pointed out how serious these knee injuries can get over time and reminded everyone that you can only do so many surgeries. When will Xiaoka return? Let's wait and see.