LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Kawhi Leonard will be arriving late to the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Finally ready to chase a championship after almost four months away from live game action, the LA Clippers will touch down in Orlando Wednesday night as they plan to participate in the NBA’s restart of the 2019-20 season. However, they will arrive in Orlando without Kawhi Leonard in tow.
Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, Leonard did not travel with the Clippers as they enter the Orlando bubble, as he stayed in his native California to tend to a family matter with the full support of the team.
He is expected to link back up with the Clippers in a few days.
Kawhi Leonard is vital to the Clippers’ playoff push.
After willing the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title in his only season north of the border, Leonard has actually managed to improve upon his game in his first season under Doc Rivers. He is setting career-highs across the board, as he is averaging a personal best 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 2019-20, teaming with Paul George to form one of the most hellacious tandems in the league.
The Clippers will enter Orlando with a 44-20 record, 5.5 games behind the hated Los Angeles Lakers for the top seed in the Western Conference. If they are to overcome the odds and take down LeBron James, they need Board Man in Florida and as razor-sharp as he was during the Raptors’ run to the Finals last season.
Considering how this roster was constructed around his unique skill-set, it goes without saying that the Clippers would be a considerably more toothless team without Leonard’s efficient scoring and elite defense. Luckily, it seems like Leonard will rejoin the team at some point once this matter gets sorted out, which should allow Clippers fans all over the country to sleep easy tonight.
