One of the worst things happened to the San Antonio Spurs fans that left them holding their breath and hating the player that injured Kawhi Leonard. Zaza Pachulia pushed his foot further up under Leonard's ankle after he shot the ball, causing him to roll and injure his ankle. Once he was out for the rest of the series it spelled ultimate doom for the team.
This NBA season has been filled with drama and excitement, and a large part of the drama came from Kawhi Leonard sitting out for most of the season due to a quad injury. He has not been healthy this season.
Coach Gregg Popovich said to reporters that Leonard would not play the rest of the season. However, a recent report points out that Kawhi will be back by March.
The star returns
A report by Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright points to the possibility that Leonard will return in March. Information in this article was found via Bleacher Report written by Timothy Rapp. Contrary to what was previously thought, it appears that he might actually be back this season. The story points to a mid-March return to the beginning of the month.
The report states, "Leonard has returned to San Antonio from New York, where he spent three weeks seeking further consultation on a right quad injury that has sidelined him for most of the season, league sources said." He spent some time seeking treatment for the injury to his quad, which has plagued him.
It would be sad if the star got injured again; he is only being careful in seeking further treatment. This opens the door to questions of why the star was not seeking treatment in San Antonio and why he left the team.
What it means
San Antonio Spurs fans should be joyous that Kawhi Leonard will be returning because it means big things for the team.
It makes the Spurs a contender to battle the Golden State Warriors and other teams in the West. The team would have no chance without him in the lineup for the playoffs. Without him, they cannot compete with the Houston Rockets who are playing out of their minds right now, and the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Kawhi Leonard is such a terrific player on both sides of the ball. His presence makes the Spurs much better as a unit. The Spurs have "still managed to go 36-25, good for third in the Western Conference." The Spurs have been able to play well despite not having their best player on the floor, but Leonard is the missing piece to the puzzle for the team. When Leonard did play this season, he averaged "16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game." LaMarcus Aldridge has picked up the slack with the star being out of the starting lineup.
Kawhi's future
Kawhi's future is not set in stone yet. There is a possibility that the injury and the way that the organization handled his situation ultimately caused a rift between him and the organization.
That could be why he did not return and refused to play for the team. Leonard will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-2019 season.
It would be interesting if Leonard chooses to leave the Spurs behind with their amazing coach and take his talent to play for a bigger contender. Many teams will be willing to sign the star because of the dynamic player that he is. We will see if the star can come back healthy this time around and lead the Spurs to a championship this year, or at least give the Warriors or Rockets some trouble in the playoffs.
