A return date has loosely been set for Kawhi Leonard's return to the LA Clippers.
The LA Clippers have been one of the most surprising teams in the Western Conference this season. After losing Paul George during the offseason and then having to begin the year with Kawhi Leonard sidelined due to injury again, the belief was that LA was going to take a tumble down the West standings. However, that hasn't happened through the first 30-plus games of the regular season. Instead, the Clippers have managed to remain afloat among the group of dark horse contenders in the conference.
And as the push toward the NBA Playoffs quickly approaches, the Clippers should be getting a strong boost with the return of their superstar wing. Kawhi, who has missed the entire start of this season, is eyeing a return to the lineup sooner rather than later.
According to Law Murray of The Athletic, Kawhi is targeting a return to the Clippers lineup on January 4 when the team is expected to host the Atlanta Hawks. Murray notes that there is plenty that can happen between now and then to potentially change things a bit but at least for now, the hope is that is when Kawhi is going to make his return to the floor.
While the return date is nice to have, what you have to be most interested in is what the plan will be for Kawhi moving forward (after his return). That's what truly could end up dictating what could potentially lie ahead for the Clippers as they begin to enter the second half of the season.
What will Kawhi Leonard's return to the LA Clippers look like?
It will be interesting to see how limited Kawhi is when he does return. There are naturally going to be big questions about what his return to the lineup is going to look like. For instance, is Kawhi going to be a starter? Is he going to be on a minute's restriction? Is he going to sit out back-to-back games? And those are just the surface-level questions that come to mind.
Much of the Clippers' chances of solidifying themselves as a playoff contender in the second half of the season will hinge on how Kawhi looks when he returns to the lineup. But the fact that the Clippers have managed to hold onto a top-6 seed in the conference without Kawhi is a testament to this team. That said, if they're going to emerge as a playoff threat in the second half of the season, they need a healthy Kawhi sooner rather than later. The hope is that is coming within the next few days.