LA Clippers fans are convinced Kawhi Leonard is hiding a more “serious injury” than the franchise are letting on after he was ruled out for a third consecutive game.
There is a lot expected of the Clippers this season after acquiring both Leonard and Paul George in the offseason.
But the two have yet played together on the court with George only just recovering from two shoulder surgeries in the summer.
Leonard meanwhile has been under ‘load management’ with the Clippers, keeping him out of back-to-back games.
That meant there were no immediate concerns when he didn’t suit up for the game against the New Orleans Pelicans after facing the Houston Rockets the night before.
However, he was ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with a left knee contusion.
And the same issue has kept him out of contention to play against George’s former team in Oklahoma City on Monday night.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports evaluations on the injury “did not show any further seriousness to the left knee contusion”.
He remains day-to-day on making a return to action.
But some Clippers fans are unconvinced, suggesting Leonard could in fact have a big problem going forward.
One fan tweeted: “Starting to believe Kawhi will never be 100% healthy.”
Another posted: “Uhm is Kawhi okay??? He’s not playing AGAIN. I’m concerned for him.”
A third wrote: “This man Kawhi missing another game son. They gotta be hiding a serious injury.”
A fourth said: “Kawhi is officially out. Third game in a row. This looks bigger than we all thought.”
The Clippers continue their home stretch with a huge clash against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night before hosting the Houston Rockets on Friday evening.