NBA Rumors: The injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Kawhi Leonard will have a huge impact in the Western Conference.
In a few days, the start of the 2024-25 NBA season will have arrived. The attention will shift from the transaction wire to the on-the-court play. The good vibes at the start of the season are unrivaled. This is the point in the season in which every team has hope for the new year. How long that hope remains varies for every team but at least to start the season, there are good vibes across the league.
Unfortunately, for at least two teams, some of those encouraging vibes are a bit off a few days before the start of the regular season. That's because there are two injuries that could have a huge impact on their respective team's chances of getting off on the right foot to begin the year.
Both Isaiah Hartenstein and Kawhi Leonard are expected to begin the season sidelined because of injury. Oklahoma City Thunder center Hartenstein is expected to miss at least the first month of the season due to a fractured hand while the LA Clippers will be without Kawhi for an indefinite amount of time as he deals with knee soreness.
The impact on the Western Conference
These two injuries will have an impact on the top of the West and the middle tier. Without Hartenstein, it could delay the Thunder's ability to hit their stride this season. There are likely going to be some growing pains for the Thunder as they integrate Alex Caruso and Hartenstein this year. That was a given.
However, now that Hartenstein is going to miss some time, it could certainly impact OKC's ability to finish as a top seed in the conference. This is to say that a month without Hartenstein is going to cause the Thunder to fall out of the race for the No. 1 seed, but it can't help the team.
The indefinite status of Kawhi could have a huge effect on the Clippers. Without Kawhi, it's hard to envision how the Clippers are going to get off to a hot start. Maybe they prove me wrong, but there's a very real chance the Clippers could lose some valuable ground in the playoff race right off the bat.
In such a deep Western Conference, every game is going to be valuable for a team like the Clippers.