San Antonio Spurs NBA Roster, Injury News 2018: Kawhi Leonard Out Indefinitely Due to a Quadriceps Injury
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard just can't seem to stay healthy this season.
Leonard already missed a big chunk of the season while he dealt with a nagging quadriceps injury, but now he's heading back to the sidelines with the Spurs announcing that they are shutting him down for an "indefinite period of time" so he can continue his rehabilitation.
"He didn't re-injure it. He was having pain, not right after the game, but the next day at noon or that kind of thing. The pain wasn't dissipating. It wasn't going in the right direction. It was going the other way," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said on Wednesday, via the San Antonio Express-News.
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"It just hasn't gone as well as we've wanted it to. So we're going to stop him for an indefinite period — I don't know how long that will be — to get more strength and hopefully get him back on the court," he added.
Popovich also clarified that they expect to see Leonard back on the floor at some point later in the season.
Leonard has played sporadically since he returned to the lineup last month, but he has done well whenever he's on the court. The All-Star forward is averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and a block in under 24 minutes this season, and he's also shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 31.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.6 percent from the free-throw line.
The good news is that Spurs are deep enough to weather Leonard's absence, and with LaMarcus Aldridge shouldering the load on offense, they are in no danger of slipping in the standings.
Versatile forward Kyle Anderson will get the start at small forward while Leonard is on the shelf and he should continue to log heavy minutes in the coming weeks.
