INGLEWOOD – Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined indefinitely because of his chronic right knee injury, the team confirmed Thursday.

With the regular season opener just six days away, the six-time All-Star is rehabilitating a knee that became infected during Team USA's pre-Olympic training camp in Las Vegas. He did not take part in any team training during pre-season and will not do so in the foreseeable future.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard looked good in the days leading up to Team USA camp but then suffered a setback.

“The swelling had gone down, everything was going in the right direction,” Lue said before Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings. “He's worked hard to get to this point and once you start playing you never know what's going to happen. But he was in a position, we thought, in the right position to move forward.

“Like I said, it was a setback, so it was unfortunate.”

According to Lue, Leonard was sent home before the U.S. team left for friendlies abroad and began the rehab process shortly after his return. The trial continues and there is no timetable for his return.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP did not play in any of the Clippers' five preseason games.

“Kawhi is working hard and he looks good, so there is no timetable, nothing has changed since Day 1,” Lue said. “He's still working on achieving what we're trying to do and as long as he's not 100% and can leave, we have no concerns about him doing something else. “We'll just follow the path.”

Asked if he thought there was a chance Leonard would miss the entire season, Lue said no, “but I'm not a doctor either.”

Leonard played in 68 games last season, the most he has played in a season during his five years in a Clippers uniform. However, he re-injured his right knee at the end of last season, missed the final eight games of the regular season and was limited to two games in the six-game first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks.