The Los Angeles Clippers are firmly positioned for a play-in spot, clinging to the No. 8 seed with 11 games left to play in the 2025-26 season. The good news is that franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard didn’t stay out for long after yet another injury scare, this time an ankle sprain. Leonard is having one of his best seasons, both in terms of numbers and availability. He is averaging a career-high 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in 55 appearances. He has played more than 55 games only twice in the last five years, and reached 60 games just once.

But the bigger picture is that, career-high or not, the Clippers still find themselves in the same limbo they have been in for years. Since Leonard arrived in 2019 as a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, the Clippers have exactly one deep playoff run to show for it, which came in 2021 when they reached the Western Conference Finals. Everything else has been first-round exits or earlier.

One thing that can’t be ignored is that the Clippers can’t get better when their best player is only available for a little over half of the season. Leonard has missed at least 20 games in almost every season he has played for the Clippers. He played 57 games in his first season, 52 in 2020–21, 0 in 2021–22 after tearing his ACL, 52 in 2022–23, and 68 in 2023–24, which was just six games short of his career-high number of games played. Last year, there were only 37 games, and this year there are already 55 games, even though he has had a lot of ankle problems.

His injury history isn’t the worst, but it is starting to look like a problem in Los Angeles. Things didn’t go as planned after Paul George left, and George left in 2024. It was then Leonard and James Harden, but that only lasted two and a half seasons before Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. If the Clippers want to keep Leonard safe at this important time of year, the 26-year-old guard could be the most important player they need.

The Kawhi Leonard Conundrum the Clippers Have to Tackle

Leonard is 34 years old, and the story with him has always been “when healthy,” but that status is never certain. The Clippers aren’t ready to win a championship right now, but they will be a lot worse if Leonard is out for a long time at any point.

The six-year partnership hasn’t led to any lasting conflict since that one great run in 2021. Leonard, who averaged 30.4 points in 11 games that postseason, was healthy, which helped them get that far. His run came to an end in Game 4 of the second round against the Utah Jazz. The Clippers would have had a better chance of moving on if he had been available for the Conference Finals.

Most Clippers fans would be happy with a play-in spot, given how the season started. They were 6-21 just after mid-December, but since then, they’ve had two six-game winning streaks and one four-game streak, which has helped them get into the play-in picture, mostly thanks to Leonard. The team has a hard time without him, going 4–12 in games he has missed this season. He is the main reason why a play-in spot is even possible.

If they decide to sit Leonard out for the rest of the regular season, Garland is their best choice. In the nine games he has played so far, he has scored an average of 21.4 points, grabbed 2.4 rebounds, and made 6.8 assists. In the Clippers’ 138-131 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks, he scored a season-high 41 points on 62.5% shooting. He has proven that he can lead the team, so the franchise should think about giving him the keys and keeping Leonard for the playoffs. The seven-time NBA All-Star is also one game away from missing the 65-game mark, which makes the team’s long-term health even more important.

The Clippers will play seven teams that are below.500 in their last 11 games, which gives them some time to rest Leonard if they need to. The worst thing that could happen is that you end up in a worse play-in spot. But a fully healthy Leonard makes them more dangerous than their roster would suggest.