The Los Angeles Clippers have looked like the real deal this season. However, they are currently enduring a slump of sorts, losing two on the bounce. Despite this, the Clippers have secured the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings. This means that they would face a resurgent Dallas Mavericks side in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Clippers have been dealt a devastating blow, as the availability of Kawhi Leonard remains uncertain for the series.

Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played a match since 31st March due to recurring knee injuries. After the Clippers lost to the out-of-form Jazz on Friday night, Clippers HC Ty Lue stated that Kawhi will be “hopeful” for Game 1 of their series against the Mavs. Clippers president Lawrence Frank provided further details about Leonard’s injury. He said, “With Kawhi, he’s dealing with inflammation. It’s no secret he’s had a couple of surgeries to that knee. It’s not uncommon over the course of it where you deal with inflammation.”

Lawrence further stated that Kawhi Leonard is working hard to get back on the court as soon as possible. He added, “With inflammation, it limits your ability to make some natural basketball moves, so he’s working his tail off, the staff is working their tail off to try to help with the inflammation.” 

Before being ruled out for knee soreness, Kawhi Leonard was the Clippers’ best player. He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 68 games this season. Furthermore, Kawhi has recorded such figures at an extremely efficient rate. He has shot 52.5% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, he has maintained an impressive percentage of 88.5% from the charity stripe. So could the Clippers deal with Kawhi Leonard’s absence?

Will Kawhi Leonard’s absence hurt the Clippers?

The Los Angeles Clippers are set to meet the Mavericks for the third time in the last five seasons, having emerged victorious in their previous two matchups. However, this Mavs side is a completely different proposition. They possess two of the most lethal offensive players in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Apart from that, Dallas’ trade deadline additions of Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington have taken the Mavs to the next level.

So the Clippers must perform at their peak and have all their key players available to get the better of this Mavs’ team. This won’t be the case if Kawhi Leonard fails to recover in time for the series. The Los Angeles Clippers have massively struggled in Kawhi’s absence, winning just 7 out of the 13 matches that he has missed. On the contrary, they have recorded 44 wins out of 68 games that Leonard has started.

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Despite this, the Clippers still possess stars like James Harden and Paul George, who can hold the fort until Kawhi Leonard returns from his knee injury. But regardless of the circumstances, the series between the Clippers and the Mavericks promises to be a cracker of a series.