Evaluating Kawhi Leonard's NBA Career as He Faces Potentially Season-Ending Knee Injury

Kawhi Leonard’s NBA journey has been one of the most unconventional for a superstar in recent memory. Entering the league in 2011 as the 15th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs, few predicted the heights Leonard would reach in his career.

After a solid but unspectacular first few seasons, Leonard blossomed into a bona fide star with the Spurs. He won NBA Finals MVP in 2014 as the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat, signaling his arrival as one of the game’s premier two-way players.

Over the next few seasons, Leonard established himself as arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA and an increasingly potent offensive force. He finished second in MVP voting in 2016 and third in 2017 while leading the Spurs to the playoffs each year.

However, Leonard’s stint with the Spurs came to an acrimonious end as he missed nearly the entire 2017-18 season with a quad injury. Reports of tension between Leonard’s camp and the Spurs' medical staff persisted, and he was ultimately traded to the Toronto Raptors in July 2018.

In his lone season north of the border, Leonard returned to superstar form. He led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history, winning his second Finals MVP in the process. His iconic Game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers will forever be etched in NBA lore.

As a free agent in 2019, Leonard chose to sign with the LA Clippers, joining forces with Paul George in his native Southern California. Expectations were sky-high for the duo, but injuries have unfortunately written the story of Leonard’s Clippers tenure so far.

He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn ACL suffered in the 2021 playoffs. This latest news of a knee injury poised to sideline him for a significant chunk of the upcoming season is another brutal blow for the now 32-year-old Leonard.

When healthy, Leonard has remained one of the NBA’s most impactful players. He earned All-NBA First Team honors in 2021 and was playing at a high level before getting hurt in the 2023 playoffs. With career averages of 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game, his all-around brilliance is undeniable.

However, his extensive injury history cannot be ignored. Since 2017, Leonard has played in just 55% of his teams' regular season games. For a player once renowned for his durability, it’s been a startling turn of events.

As Leonard stares down another lengthy rehab, it’s fair to wonder how much these mounting injuries will affect his ability to perform at a superstar level moving forward. When available, he remains a top-10 talent in the league. But his absences have undoubtedly hurt his teams' ability to construct a cohesive roster and game plan.

Looking ahead, both Leonard and the Clippers will hope he can buckle down, get healthy and recapture his world-beating form. The 2023-24 season was supposed to see the Clippers make a serious championship push with Leonard and a re-signed Russell Westbrook leading the way. Now, they’ll likely have to make do without their best player for a significant chunk of time once again.

Whenever Leonard does return, he’ll face pressure to reassert himself as one of the sport’s apex predators and deliver the Clippers to the promised land. If he can do so, this latest injury will be a mere footnote in his tremendous career. If not, his legacy as an all-time great could be tinged with a sense of “what might have been.”

No matter what happens from here, there’s no denying Leonard’s immense talent and accomplishments. He’s a four-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, a seven-time All-Defensive Team member, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time Finals MVP and a two-time NBA champion.

But as he enters his mid-30s with a litany of lower-body injuries, it remains to be seen if he can recapture the magic that made him such a singular force at his peak. For the sake of Leonard, the Clippers and NBA fans everywhere, here’s hoping this latest setback is just a minor speed bump in the road as he continues his pursuit of basketball immortality.