Clippers: Kawhi Leonard out for at least 1 week with sore right foot

The LA Clippers’ injury woes continue, with Kawhi Leonard now out for at least one week.

The LA Clippers look like legitimate title contenders in the NBA‘s Western Conference … if they can just get everyone healthy, that is.

In what’s been an injury-ravaged season for both the Clippers and the league at large, Tuesday provided an unwelcome update on the health front for superstar Kawhi Leonard.

According to the team, Leonard will miss LA’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night with right foot soreness, and he won’t be re-evaluated until next week.

Kawhi Leonard is out for the week with right foot soreness

Though this is hardly unique in the NBA this season, the injury hits just keep coming from the Clippers. In 59 games, Leonard has already missed 13 of them, while fellow superstar Paul George has missed 15. Throw in 13 missed games for Markieff Morris, 20 missed games for Serge Ibaka and 28 missed games for Patrick Beverley, and you’re starting to get the full picture.

Despite key players being in and out of the lineup all season, the Clippers are still 40-19 overall, putting them third in the West. They’re only 2.0 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the 2-seed in the conference, and they boast the NBA’s second-best point differential, top-ranked offense, 11th-ranked defense and most efficient 3-point attack.

Even so, the Clippers need to get healthy if they want to make up for last year’s embarrassing playoff exit in the second round, when they choked away a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets. While Leonard’s sore foot doesn’t sound too serious, Beverley’s fractured hand comes with an unclear timetable for return, putting LA’s rhythm heading into the postseason in jeopardy.

With the Los Angeles Lakers also trying to get healthy and the Suns and Utah Jazz looking like legitimate contenders as well, the Clippers will be hoping Leonard is only out for 6-7 days and that his re-evaluation next week brings some good news.