San Antonio Spurs star wingman Kawhi Leonard has been sidelined for a majority of the season with a quad injury. Last season ended in the Western Conference Finals with an injury and this whole 2017-18 campaign has been shrouded in uncertainty involving an injury. So where do we stand with Leonard heading into March?
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich recently went on record to say that Leonard might not return this season due partially to the upcoming end of the season. With the playoffs on the horizon, he could still absolutely return for the postseason but according to one report, he’s ready to go right now but appears to be hesitant.
Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Kawhi Leonard could return now after being cleared by doctors but he won’t come back quite yet.
After spending 10 days before the All-Star break in New York consulting with a specialist to gather a second opinion on his right quad injury, All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard bears the burden of determining when he’s prepared to play again, sources told ESPN.
Leonard has been medically cleared to return from the right quad tendinopathy injury, but since shutting down a nine-game return to the San Antonio Spurs that ended Jan. 13, he has elected against returning to the active roster, sources said. If Leonard returns, it will be because he has decided he can manage the discomfort of the injury, according to the sources.
Away from the Spurs to pursue second opinions in New York, Leonard recently utilized the gymnasium inside the National Basketball Players Association headquarters in Manhattan for workouts, league sources told ESPN. The Spurs had team personnel accompanying Leonard in New York, sources said.
Kawhi getting some on-court work is awesome to hear but his disconnect from the team adds on to the shroud of doubt surrounding his commitment to the team. There have been rumblings about him not being too happy with the organization and he’s apparently showing it at practices. He’s reportedly been spotted working out with ex-teammates at the Spurs facility during practices, separate from his teammates.
Ryen Russillo of ESPN said the following on the Thursday edition of ‘The Basketball Friends‘.
(The Kawhi segment starts at approximately the 32 minutes mark)
“I had heard that he was showing up so it could be thought of as ‘alright I’m here, I’m doing what I need to do’ but he was rehab like playing pickup with Matt Bonner and Boris Diaw and he wasn’t doing stuff with other guys.”
