Kawhi Leonard Injury: Updates on Spurs Star's Hand and Return

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard suffered a hand injury on Wednesday, Dec. 10. He has been out of the lineup since, and it's been revealed that he has a torn ligament in his right hand. He will start in the Spurs' Jan. 16 game against the Blazers.

Continue for updates. 

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Leonard Will Start vs. Blazers

Friday, Jan. 16

Paul Garcia of Project Spurs has the latest on Leonard:

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Leonard Out vs. Charlotte, Missing 15th-Straight Game

Wednesday, Jan. 14

The San Antonio Spurs confirmed that Kawhi Leonard will miss Wednesday's game vs. Charlotte. Leonard has not played since the team's December 15 game vs. Portland.

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Leonard Out But Progressing

Tuesday, Jan. 13

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News provided comments from Gregg Popovich on Kawhi Leonard's rehab:

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Leonard to Return Within 2 Weeks

Tuesday, Jan. 6

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports passes along some good news regarding Kawhi Leonard's hand injury: 

"

San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard will likely return within two weeks from a hand injury, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Leonard has been recovering from a torn ligament in his shooting hand and is expected to resume light basketball activities this week, sources said.

Doctors have seen progress in the lessening of his inflammation, and the belief is he'll regain full strength in the hand with no long-term limitations or issues, sources said.

"

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Leonard Weeks Away from Return

Saturday, Jan. 3

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News provides an update on Leonard's status:

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Popovich Speaks on Leonard's Return

Wednesday, Dec. 31

Paul Garcia of Project Spurs passed along comments from Gregg Popovich on Kawhi Leonard's status:

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Popovich Speaks on Leonard's Recovery, Return

Thursday, Dec. 25

Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News provided a synopsis from Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich discussing Leonard's status, "As for Leonard, remains indefinite. Pop said it could be tmw, two weeks from now, or beyond. One positive: Can't hurt himself further."

On Monday, Popovich didn't sound very optimistic when talking about Leonard's hand injury according to Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com and McCarney:

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Leonard Has Torn Ligament in Hand

Friday, Dec. 19

Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News has the latest on Leonard:

Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News provides details on Leonard's timetable for return:

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Leonard Out vs. Knicks With Hand Injury

Wednesday, Dec. 10

San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks with a hand injury.

Paul Garcia of Project Spurs reported the details of Leonard's status:

Leonard had an x-ray, but isn't expected to miss much time according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News:

Leonard, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, is an underrated but vital part of San Antonio's squad that features a marquee veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

The 23-year-old Leonard will presumably become the face of the franchise when all those aging All-Stars walk away from the game. Leonard already has a sophisticated understanding of the game and is among the best and most versatile on-ball defenders in the NBA.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich emphasized—in his unique way—just how valuable Leonard is to the team's success, per The Washington Post's Michael Lee:

"

We're trying to loosen up a bit and give him more of a green light. He's getting more license. When you're a young kid, you're going to defer to Timmy and Manu and [Tony]. Now it's like, "To heck with those guys. The Big Three, they're older than dirt. To hell with them. You're the Big One. You've got to go do your deal." So, we're trying to get him to be more demonstrative in that regard.

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The results in the earlier going of the 2014-15 campaign suggest Leonard has indeed been more assertive, per ESPN Stats & Info:

One of the elements to Popovich's greatness is how spectacular he is at shuffling around the Spurs' rotation. Popovich often opts to rest his aging cornerstones in Duncan, Ginobili and Parker whenever possible even if they aren't injured, so he should find a way to work around Leonard's absence.

As long as Leonard isn't out for too long, San Antonio should continue to be a strong contender in the loaded Western Conference.

It will take a tremendous effort to replace Leonard's impact on both ends of the floor, though.