Not many fans (outside of San Antonio) or pundits are giving the Spurs much of a chance to defeat the high-powered Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, but if they're going to make it interesting, they'll need a productive Kawhi Leonard.
The MVP candidate sat out San Antonio's series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Houston Rockets with an ankle injury suffered the outing before. Despite the setback, the feeling was that Leonard would've been available had the series gone seven games.
Yesterday, multiple sources reported that Leonard will play in Game 1 against the Warriors on Sunday afternoon. Earlier today, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich confirmed it.
From Melissa Rohlin of the San Antonio Express-News:
Pop said Kawhi is going to play tomorrow. He said he fully participated in today's practice.
Some evidence of the back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year getting some work in at the Spurs' practice facility today:
Kawhi currently shooting jumpers #Spurs #Warriors pic.twitter.com/DW8qutTSQb
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) May 13, 2017
Despite his absence against Game 6 in Houston, the Spurs rolled over the Rockets to the tune of a 39-point victory. They'll need a similar effort, along with the contributions from Leonard, to compete with a Warriors team that is yet to lose in these playoffs.
To date this postseason, Leonard has averaged 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in about 37 minutes per game. His scoring prowess is highlighted by an incredible 47.1 percent clip from 3-point land.
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