Kawhi Leonard has not played this season. The San Antonio Spurs‘ MVP candidate has been sidelined all year with an injury to his right quadriceps, and while the Spurs have gotten off to an 8-5 start to the year, they’re obviously counting down the days until they get Leonard back on the floor.
The issue has been that there hasn’t been much of a public timetable for Leonard’s return to the squad. Gregg Popovich has given a few hints, but for the most part, it has seemed like San Antonio has been playing the whole thing by ear. Plus Leonard has mentioned how tough it’s been to make his way back from the injury.
There is some good news, though. Popovich’s latest update on Leonard’s return, which comes to us via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, makes it sound like he’ll be on the floor in the not-too-distant future.
Asked if there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for the Spurs’ linchpin player, Popovich said after shootaround Tuesday morning, “Oh, sure. He’s gonna be back sooner rather than later.”
The Spurs staying afloat despite Leonard’s injury has been somewhat surprising, even if the team has been historically really good at not going under when a star is sidelined — their 8-5 record is tied for the third-best record in the Western Conference. Still, San Antonio is better when Leonard is on the floor, and it’ll be interesting to see how quickly it takes him to find the form that turned him into an MVP candidate last season.
(Via San Antonio Express-News)
