to his withdrawal.

The soreness that began in April had extended into the summer and to the start of this season.

But the six-time All Star is back, and his teammates say Leonard is getting close to playing at a high level. Maybe not All-Star-caliber but he is showing progress toward regaining his defensive prowess and elite shooter status.

“He is just working his way into conditioning-wise, plan-wise, the game, all of the above,” fellow All-Star James Harden said. “He hadn’t had a training camp, a preseason, none of that. So, I think for us it’s just trying to make his job a lot easier to just continue to do what we’ve been doing and then slowly incorporating him into what we’re doing.

“But I mean, he looks great.”

Leonard, 33, is looking forward to doing more, but for now he is content to take a back seat as the team works to get back on track. The Clippers (21-15) are looking to continue righting themselves tonight when they host the Brooklyn Nets (13-26) after stumbling through a 1-4 stretch before beating Miami on Monday.

“I’m trying to do my job to help the team win,” said Leonard, who has totaled 26 points and 10 rebounds in 61 minutes in his three games. “That’s all I do. And yeah, I feel good. As long as I’m feeling good on the court, I’m able to move quickly, get to my spots. That’s all I’m looking for (now).”

Leonard, whose recovery took months, said there is nothing he can’t do, such as defend, chase loose balls and shoot from any distance. Coach Tyronn Lue said he expects Leonard to be on a minutes restriction for a few more games.

So, is he able to do pretty much everything he wants to physically, just not to the degree he has in the past?

“If you want to put it that way. I’m playing in the same way that I usually play,” Leonard said.

Center Ivica Zubac said there isn’t any need to worry about Leonard or his game now.

“He’s good, he’s not trying (too hard), he’s trying to play in the flow of the game. He’s trying to get his legs under him and he’s just trying to fit in,” Zubac said. “So, he is doing a good job and we expect him with every game, hopefully to get five more minutes and get his legs under him and be the Kawhi that we know he is.”

And if it takes another week or two?

“It’s Kawhi man, one of the best players in the league, and when he gets his legs under him, he’s going to be really good,” Zubac said.