The San Antonio Spurs are going to be cautious with their franchise player, especially in meaningless preseason games.
Which means we are not going to see Kawhi Leonard before the start of the regular season, due to a lingering issue with his thigh, the team announced. Whether he misses the start of the regular season remains to be seen.
INJURY UPDATE: pic.twitter.com/CjZmb7HTFs
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) September 30, 2017
This is an inflammation of the tendon just above the kneecap in the thigh. Coach Gregg Popovich said this is something Leonard has been dealing with since last season.
Pop on Kawhi’s right quadriceps injury: pic.twitter.com/kk89936aaM
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) September 30, 2017
This doesn’t sound “he’s going to miss a lot of the regular season” serious, but it could be something that requires him to get some rest during the campaign.
Leonard is coming off a MVP-level season where he took on more of the Spurs offense and averaged a career-high 25.5 points a game, plus he remains the best perimeter defender in the league. San Antonio needs him right when the games matter, so they are wise to rest him now.