The tiny forward was anticipated to be fully recovered after a year on the sidelines, but his knee is still bothering him.

 

Leonard has only appeared in two games this season as questions loom in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, it was reported that the 31-year-old would surely miss the next two games after missing the previous four.

 

The Clippers will travel to Houston and San Antonio, but Leonard will stay behind to rehab his knee. Tyronn Lue, the player’s head coach, has admitted that the situation has been difficult for him.

 

“He’s frustrated; He desires to be on the ground and then not be on the floor, and now he can’t travel,” Lue said.

 

“He wants to travel, but the doctor stated it’s not the best time because of the stiffness and what he’s going through.”

 

“I’m just frustrated after putting in all of the work over the last 15 months to get to this point and not being where he wants to be physically, but he’s getting better, and that’s what matters.”

 

Everyone involved will need to be patient to ensure a slow and safe return to normalcy for the two-time NBA champion.

 

Leonard had always anticipated starting this season slowly, but he had hoped to avoid having to sit on the bench for such a long period.

 

For the time being, return to the rehabilitation room, and proceed from there. Leonard won’t play on consecutive nights for the foreseeable future, and a reduced-minutes bench position was always the goal.