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The LA Clippers find themselves in familiar waters as they start the season without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Considering the impact Leonard has had on the team's success, former NBA champion Richard Jefferson highlighted how his absence will affect the team going forward.
The LA Clippers are widely regarded as one of the best teams this season. Along with the superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers also feature immensely talented players deep into their roster.
While this appraisal of the Clippers' roster strength holds true, the team hasn't had the most successful start to the season. With a 4-4 record after Wednesday's win against the Houston Rockets, the LA team has just a .500 record.
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Many of their poor performances could be attributed to the absence of Kawhi Leonard. After sustaining a minor knee injury, Leonard has sat out of six games this season.
Former NBA champion Richard Jefferson took the opportunity to shed light on how Leonard's injury has impacted the LA Clippers' chances this season. Speaking up on the matter on NBA Countdown, Jefferson said:
"I was the person that got a lot of heat at the beginning of the year because I said I did not believe in the Clippers. Every single thing about the Clippers' organization, it hinges on Kawhi Leonard."
Jefferson gave props to Leonard for winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors. However, his criticisms started with Leonard's tenure with the LA Clippers. He added:
"After that they were up 3-1 in the Bubble. That did not go well. It wasn't just Paul George, Kawhi Leonard had a lot of that. He was struggling in that. Then he had an entire season off.
"So when I look at this, I'm just going to fault them and say that they are the team to win the championship this year? Oh no. They should be very worried in Clipper land. Because he's had like - 18 months off. And he's struggling to play in games.
"I root for him. I want him to be healthy. But you should be concerned. The organization should be concerned."
Since playing against the Phoenix Suns on October 23, Leonard has been out of the rotation to recover from injury.
The Clippers are beginning to adapt to playing without him as he has now missed five games. But such an approach won't benefit them as they hope to bring the title to LA this season.
LA Clippers' Kawhi Leonard expected to miss more games
LA Clippers find themselves in a difficult position with regards to Kawhi Leonard. As per recent reports, he is expected to miss at least two or three more games as he manages his knee injury.
Since Leonard was listed out of games, the Clippers have managed a 2-3 record. This includes a three-game losing slide that came right after their loss to the Phoenix Suns.
A recent report by The Athletic's Ohm Youngmisuk has given some insight into Leonard's injury as well. While highlighting the nature of the injury, Youngmisuk mentioned that the decision to sit out was made by the Clippers organization.
This could have been to preserve Leonard for longer in the regular season and the playoffs. However, this places a massive burden on Paul George.
Coming with tough wins against the Houston Rockets in their last two outings, the LA Clippers managed to turn things around. However, with Leonard out for the foreseeable future, the team will have their work cut out for them.
