Despite already assured of the second seed in the Western Conference, San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard has no plans to take extra nights off to rest his body for the playoffs.
The reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year made his intentions known for his team's last six games of the regular season, via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, but also admitted he is uncertain if he'll be allowed to play in all of them.
“I told them I want to play out the games, but we’ll see what happens.”
Gregg Popovich indirectly confirmed that he will be giving Leonard a DNP-rest in some of their next outings, as he said he and his coaching staff will make sure he is well rested for the postseason.
“That's a lot of games, a lot of activity for the end of the season. I think we need to manage it wisely.”
The veteran head coach is known to be sitting his stars in random games as he feels they need to manage their workload. Given the situation of the Spurs, it won't be surprising if Leonard will not get his wish and their bench players will be given the opportunity to have a few more games under their belts.
Leonard is expected to be relied upon heavily by the Spurs, who will try to come out of the West and compete for the title this season. With their remaining matches having no bearing to their standing, it will be a win-win situation for them to preserve their players' health for the most important stretch of the campaign.
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