Kawhi Leonard now out with shoulder injury
Nearly a month after his season debut, Kawhi Leonard has a new injury that threatens to sideline him for awhile.
It’s been an injury-riddled stretch for San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, from an ankle issue that ended his season during last year’s playoffs to a quad injury that delayed his 2017-18 season debut until Dec. 12.
Since then he has been on a minutes restriction and rested regularly since returning, in true Gregg Popovich fashion, but Leonard has been fairly productive (15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game over just under 23 minutes per game). He appeared to be rounding into form lately, with back-to-back 20-plus point games against the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns and at least 18 points in each of his last four games.
But Leonard missed Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers with what was reported to be a left shoulder strain, and he’s now in line to miss some time with a partial tear in his shoulder.
Pop said Leonard suffered a partial tear in his left shoulder Friday night against Phoenix: "It’s too bad. He was starting to get back into form a little bit after playing a couple of games." #Spurs
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) January 8, 2018
Even though Kawhi Leonard has a partial terse in his shoulder, the team at this point doesn't think it's serious. Team will continue to monitor it over these next few days. He has not yet been ruled out for Thursday in LA against the Lakers.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) January 8, 2018
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright suggests Leonard has not yet been ruled of Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Spurs cap a three-game road trip. That means he’ll likely miss at least one more game, Monday night against the Sacramento Kings, but until he’s officially ruled out even that will be unclear.
The Spurs are doing just fine so far this season, mostly without Leonard, as they have the third-best record in the Western Conference at the exact midpoint of the schedule (27-14). But a dismal road record (9-12) is a chink in that armor, particularly with five of their next six games coming away from AT&T Center.
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Making sure Leonard is, and ideally can remain, fully healthy is obviously a high priority for the Spurs. So an extended absence with this shoulder issue can’t be ruled out, and the secretive Popovich will keep everyone guessing.