It has been a rough road back for San Antonio Spurs superstar forward Kawhi Leonard, to say the least. Nearly a month after making his 2017-18 NBA season debut, Leonard has been sidelined with a partial tear in his shoulder.
Just as they have all year, San Antonio will be taking a cautious route to Leonard's recovery. As a result, he was listed among others on the Spurs' injury report via Twitter to be unavailable for Thursday night's tilt versus the Los Angeles Lakers:
Spurs-Lakers Injury Report:
OUT – Kawhi Leonard (left shoulder strain), Rudy Gay (right heel bursitis)
DOUBTFUL – Tony Parker (sprained right ankle)
QUESTIONABLE – Danny Green (tightness, left groin) pic.twitter.com/O81nZ2kCGd— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 10, 2018
Although Leonard is not deemed to miss a significant amount of time, it is yet another obstacle to jump before he can fully get back into game shape. Head coach Gregg Popovich had been playing it safe with his return by not allowing him play in back-to-backs or games with at least two days of rest in between.
Regardless, Popovich had been pleased with Leonard's progression back to his elite form. Prior to the injury, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year had been averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. That said, it is clear that San Antonio's primary focus will be on his health for the playoffs.
Aside from Leonard, the Spurs will be quite short-handed for their game with the Lakers. Small forward Rudy Gay has also been ruled out while veteran point guard Tony Parker is listed as doubtful as he nurses an ankle injury. Fortunately, they should not have much trouble matching up against a floundering Los Angeles team, despite their current two-game win streak.
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