Kawhi Leonard "did everything" in day one of Team USA camp
The forward missed 12 of the Clippers' final 14 games of the season.
LAS VEGAS — LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard “did everything” in practice as Team USA began camp ahead of the 2024 Olympics, said USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr on Saturday, indicating that the star was a full participant in the squad’s opening day of festivities.
Kerr’s USA squad held a full practice, engaging in scrimmage work and drills. Leonard, who missed 12 of the Clippers’ final 14 games of the season, partook in free throw drills during the portion of practice open to media.
Roughly 10 days ago during a Zoom call with reporters, Kerr stated that he expected everyone to be a full participant at the opening of camp. However, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum missed the first day due to personal reasons, according to Kerr.
In mid-June, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski intimated that Team USA was looking into possible replacements for Leonard should the forward not be ready. That worry quickly dissipated in recent weeks after the LA Times’ Brad Turner reported that Leonard held a workout in late June for “several prominent individuals” that assuaged any worry on their end:
According to the people, Grant Hill, managing director of USA Basketball, and Steve Kerr, head coach of the U.S. Olympic team and the Golden State Warriors, wanted to see how Leonard was coming along after sitting out part of last season because of a right knee problem.
Hill and Kerr were joined by Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, and Leonard’s uncle and adviser, Dennis Robertson, at the team’s practice facility and watched Leonard work out for about 45 minutes to an hour, according to the people.
They all were left impressed, especially by his shooting in which he rarely missed. a shot.
Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 68 games last season for the Clippers, enjoying the most efficient season of his NBA career. The 33-year-old would earn Second Team All-NBA honors despite missing the team’s final eight regular season games.
In January, Leonard put pen to paper on a brand new three-year, $150 million extension that keeps him in Los Angeles through the 2026-27 season.
There’s no word yet on what Leonard’s role will be with this 12-man USA roster that features a veritable who’s who of talent. But the fact Leonard has graced the floor in a competitive manner has to be seen as a positive sign for not only USA Basketball but the LA Clippers since so much rides on the wide shoulders of the two-time Finals MVP.
Leonard dealt with right knee inflammation for roughly a month down the stretch of the season, only to return in Game 2 of the team’s first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, where he could only muster 15 points on 17 shots. But more than the output was the look.
The Moreno Valley, Calif., native had trouble showcasing any burst whatsoever, oftentimes looking like a passenger as the offense flowed without his input. That worry was better represented in Game 3 when the star finished with just nine points on seven shots in 25 minutes. Leonard was then shut down by the team’s medical staff following that outing, opting to prioritize long-term health over short-term gains.
“Kawhi very much intends to play and all his training has been towards that,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told gathered media at the team’s practice facility on June 27 following the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
“This is, from the time that he was selected to the Olympic team, he was extremely happy and prideful. This is an opportunity he’s wanted for a long time, so he’s rehabbing and coming back. But his whole focus coming back from the injury is to get healthy and his intent is to play for the Olympics. That’s very much what he wants. And so every day his rehab and what he’s doing, whether it’s in the performance room or whether it’s on the court, it’s focused at getting back healthy, and [Leonard] is very, very hopeful that it coincides with the Olympics.”
Frank would go on to say that Leonard was in the process of ramping up and was doing more on-court work.
“He wants to not only be ready for the Olympics, he wants to be ready to have a great season this upcoming year and wants to have a long career,” Frank said. “But his focus and mindset is just each day he’s made significant progress and he continues to go in that direction. Then we are very, very hopeful he will be great in the Olympics and [we’re] excited for having an All-NBA player [and] have another great year this upcoming season.”
Leonard is scheduled to talk with media later during camp, as are all players. LeBron James, Jrue Holiday, and Devin Booker spoke on Saturday.
Team USA plays Canada in Las Vegas on Wednesday in an exhibition before traveling to Abu Dhabi for a pair of tune-up games against Australia and Serbia and then London for two more games against South Sudan and Germany. Their Olympic schedule opens on July 28 against Serbia.