San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard expressed his intent to return to the court this season, after suffering several setbacks in his recovery from a quad injury, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
Leonard had returned for nine games prior after suffering his initial injury in the Western Conference Finals after a wild closeout from Zaza Pachulia of the Golden State Warriors, which forced him to miss the rest of the postseason.
The Klaw played for nine games, averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game — clearly a shadow of his former self, before getting shut down indefinitely by the team to fine-tune his recovery.
Pressed for a timeline for his impending return, Leonard remained noncommittal.
“Soon,” he said. “I don't have a set date right now. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. The progression that I am making has been great. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing.”
Rumors about a fissure between him and the organization have run rampant amid the frustration from being cleared to play but seeking an outside medical opinion for the state of his quad. Leonard quickly shut them down, assuring he'd want to retire as a Spur.
“Yeah, for sure,” said Leonard, ever so concisely.
The Spurs are at a pivotal point in their season, slipping to sixth place in the Western Conference standings and try to claw their way back to the top of the board once more.
Leonard's impending return will play a huge factor in how the team progresses through these last 18 games of the season.
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