LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard cleared for full participation, but team to take 'cautious' approach

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard has been cleared to participate fully in training camp next week but the LA Clippers will proceed with «step-by-step» caution.

Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, said Leonard's first 5-on-5 participation will take place in camp, which starts next Tuesday in Las Vegas.

«He feels great,» Frank said at the team's practice facility. «His plan is, look, he wants to participate in everything. And I think organizationally, we're going to be cautious. So it will be a step-by-step approach.»

Frank later added: «He is cleared. For him, he'll say, look, I want to do everything. Again, we'll be very cautious in the approach.»

Leonard missed all of last season while recovering from a torn right ACL suffered in Game 4 of the second-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz on June 14, 2021.

After spending three days training at UNLV, the Clippers will travel to Seattle, where they will play their first two preseason games on Sept. 30 and Oct. 3. Frank would not say yet if Leonard will play in the preseason. The team will take it day by day and follow feedback from Leonard.

«When you're dealing with a major injury, you can't predict,» Frank said. «I know with him, he wants to do everything, but we'll just kind of let's see how he feels each day. We have an outstanding medical team, and we're playing the long game with it. So we're not going to get into predictions, what he will do or he won't do.

»… We'll figure out, is that best for his body? One day it may be. The next day, we'll have to reassess. We'll rely on the feedback we get from Kawhi, obviously from the medical team. It's too early to predict. We have time before we need to get there."

Frank also said that Paul George's