After months of optimism that Kawhi Leonard could return from his torn ACL at some point this season for the Los Angeles Clippers, Ty Lue downplayed that possibility. The Clippers also have an uncertain situation with Paul George's elbow injury, which Lue alluded to.
“I think the biggest thing is with Kawhi being out all year, and PG not knowing what’s gonna happen with PG, the hardest thing for players, when your best two players are out — when you hear Kawhi’s gonna be out for a week or three days, you can muster that energy up, you can find a way to win games and continue to come in every single day and have positive vibes,” Lue said. “But the enjoyment I get from this team, we know Kawhi’s probably not gonna come back, we don’t know the status of PG, but these guys continue to keep fighting, every single night.
“And so that’s kind of how I had to play, that’s how I had to make it, so just seeing how these guys scrap and compete every single night, just makes me feel good — that’s the enjoyment I get from coaching this team.”
Asked to clarify his comment about Leonard, Lue said he was “not a doctor” while reiterating that “hope is stronger than fear.”
“So I’m hoping that these two guys can come back,” Lue said, before leaving his postgame news conference. “But, you know, you never know. So that’s all I got to say, man.”
