Gregg Popovich does not expect Kawhi Leonard to return this season
The San Antonio Spurs are not expecting star forward Kawhi Leonard back this season.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich announced Wednesday that he would be surprised of Leonard returns before season’s end.
Pop just said he'd be surprised if Kawhi returns this season.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) February 21, 2018
In the end, if this is indeed the case, Leonard will have only played nine games all season, sidelined by a nagging quad injury that has plagued him since before the season started. It’s a major blow to San Antonio, though they still sit third in the Western Conference with a 35-24 record. Still, they’re well behind both the Warriors and Rockets, and no Leonard will likely mean the end of them if and when they come up against one of those two.
The question now is what Leonard’s relationship with the Spurs looks like going forward, given the rumors of discontent behind the scenes.
