Kawhi Leonard Not Expected to Play in Spurs' Season Opener Due to Quad Injury
San Antonio Spurs superstar forward Kawhi Leonard is reportedly expected to miss the team's 2017-18 regular-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at AT&T Center on Wednesday because of a quad injury, according to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald.
"He won't be available," head coach Gregg Popovich told McDonald on Friday.
"I don't gauge it," Popovich added. "He's still rehabbing, and when he's ready, he'll be ready. I try not to qualify it."
Leonard steadily developed into one of the league's best players after the Spurs acquired him in a 2011 draft-night trade with the Indiana Pacers. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and finished third in NBA MVP voting last season after averaging 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
The 26-year-old San Diego State product has dealt with a variety of minor ailments during his rise to stardom. While he's never played in fewer than 58 games in any season, he's also missed at least eight contests in each of the past five years.
Most recently, the Los Angeles native missed training camp and the entire 2017 preseason because of the left quad injury, per McDonald.
If the latest issue forces Leonard back out of the lineup, Rudy Gay figures to receive a lion's share of the playing time at small forward. Kyle Anderson, Manu Ginobili and Davis Bertans could all see an uptick in usage as part of the team's rotation as well.
The Spurs' depth and experience should allow them to remain competitive as long as the forward's injury doesn't turn into a long-term absence. Any type of significant setback would be a massive blow, however, especially at the defensive end of the floor.
