Kawhi Leonard, Paul George’s return to Clippers’ lineup remains uncertain

For days now, even weeks, there hasn’t been any definitive word when the Clippers stars would be back on the floor.

Every time Coach Tyronn Lue is asked, his answer is “I don’t know” or like Saturday, “today wasn’t the right day.” He repeatedly has said that it’s up to the team’s medical staff to clear Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as well as Luke Kennard.

Yet, the question when is the right day? The longer Leonard and George, and to a lesser extent, Kennard, sit out, the longer odds for the team to reach the playoffs. And if Saturday’s blowout loss is any indication, the Clippers (13-1) are looking at a bleak winter.

Leonard, who missed last season after ACL surgery, has missed six consecutive games because of a sprained ankle, while George hasn’t played in seven games because of a strained hamstring. A calf strain has sidelined Kennard for nine games and Norman Powell is out now because of a strained groin. All four are TBD.

The uncertain situation has begun to take a toll not only on the other players, who are carrying heavy-minute loads, and their coach, but with the injured players. Lue said they are just as frustrated as the fans who want to see them play.

“You hate to see this happen,” Lue said. “Kawhi, who has missed 15 months of basketball, you think he don’t want to play? Like he wants to play. PG wants to play and it’s just not the right time. They still rehabbing, still progressing, and doing the right things, trying to get to that point.”

Lue said he is optimistic the two will be in uniform at some point during the Clippers’ four-game East Coast trip that begins Monday in Charlotte. Still, it wasn’t definitive.

“Hopefully we can get it done on this trip,” Lue said. “It’s not a thing where you’re not going to sit out eight, nine games in a row because you want to sit out. Like that could be a one-game situation, or a guy like, ‘OK, I’m not feeling good today.’ But eight, nine games in a row?

“You’re not sitting out because you just want to sit out and make your own decision, you know? They’re injured, they’re hurt and they’re doing everything they can to get back. Like I said, hopefully we can get ’em back on this trip. That’s our main thing right now is trying to get these guys back.”

Center Ivica Zubac said playing a crowded schedule without the heavy lifting Leonard and George provide has been “just exhausting.” The Clippers have played more games than any other team and have eight games over the next 12 days.

“When you have less bodies you know, it’s hard, but at the same time, there are injuries everywhere,” Zubac said. “Unfortunately, some teams have more than other ones, and we didn’t get lucky at the start of the season health-wise.

“We know we miss two of the best players in the league. We miss Luke, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. And Norm now. We know we just have to hold it out for a little bit more. We know what we have to do. We have to hold it up until they are back and when they are back, hopefully soon, we will start building some chemistry on the court, and some consistency.”

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In the meantime. Marcus Morris and Zubac are logging more than 30 minutes, and Reggie Jackson is playing 29 minutes a game. Four others (including Powell) are topping the 20-minute mark and four reserves are seeing more than 10 minutes a game.

Lue said he is proud of the way his team is toughing it out every night and that their 13-11 record is a positive amid the injuries. He said it’s just the position they are in right now, adding that “We have a lot of guys that can eat, but they can’t cook.”

He added even though they are short-handed, the players are giving “everything they got. There is no way I can be made at the guys in the locker room. It is what it is. So, my biggest thing is being a good teammate, sticking together, doing things the right way on both sides of the basketball and you can live with the results.”

Until the team hears otherwise.