Kawhi returns vs. Pistons after missing 12 games

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was back in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Detroit Pistons after missing time with a knee issue.

It was a quiet return for Leonard, who scored six points while adding five rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes during the Clippers' 96-91 victory.

Leonard made just his third appearance and first start of the season after coming off the bench to begin the year.

"Just rehabbing, getting ready," Leonard told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk when asked about how he spent his 12-game absence. "I'm not going to explain it because I'm not a doctor, and nobody in here is one. So just getting back, ready to get on the floor."

The team originally listed the forward as out for the tilt before upgrading him to questionable earlier Thursday.

"Like I said before, at the start of the season, it's going to be a long journey," Leonard said. "ACL recovery isn't just one year. Everybody thinks that, but it's a two-year process, so I know that and I'm going to keep going and going through the process."

After losing three of the first four games Leonard sat out, the Clippers went 6-3 over his final nine absences.

The two-time Finals MVP experienced stiffness in his surgically repaired knee, leading the franchise to sideline him. Leonard missed last season entirely after tearing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs.