Kawhi Leonard’s MRI comes back clean
By Nam Tran
Kawhi Leonard’s MRI came back clean and there is no structural damage to his left ankle.
After landing on the foot of Zaza Pachulia early in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and having to leave the game due to an ankle injury, a lot of people were worried about Kawhi Leonard, especially since in the previous series against the Rockets Leonard had already injured his ankle and it has not fully healed yet.
However, there’s some good news for all of you Spurs fans. According to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, Kawhi Leonard’s MRI came back clean and there is no structural damage to his left ankle.
Have learned that Kawhi Leonard's MRI revealed no structural damage.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) May 15, 2017
However, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has decided to sit Leonard for Game 2 on Tuesday night. According to CBS’ NBA injury report, Leonard is estimated to make his return on Saturday, the day of Game 3. This will give him nearly one week to rest and rehab the ankle.
But if Popovich decides to make Leonard rest for a longer period of time, the Spurs will need LaMarcus Aldridge to bring his A game (as he did in Game 6 of the semifinals), and they will need Jonathon Simmons to bring the energy and hustle (as he did in Game 6) if they want to compete with the star-studded Warriors.
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Leonard has been a vital component of the Spurs’ success. He is considered to be one the best two-way players in the NBA. In the 12 games that he has played in this postseason thus far, he is averaging 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals. He is also leading the team in points, steals and assists.
The Spurs will miss his presence on the court, but let’s hope he has a speedy recovery and he will only sit out one game.