What in the world is going on with Kawhi Leoanrd?
A quad injury has kept the megahuman forward from playing in the San Antonio Spurs’ first 11 games, through which they’re a sound 7-4. And the team for, its part, refuses to offer even a half-definitive timeline for his return. That held true on Tuesday night, leading into their romp of the Los Angeles Clippers, per the San Antonio Express-News‘ Tom Osborn:
Pop on Kawhi's slow progress: "He’s just coming along more slowly, for whatever reason. It’s just been more difficult for him to get through the rehab routine. His body hasn’t reacted the same way."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) November 7, 2017
Not so fast, though.
Leonard’s sister posted something differently on Instagram, per hoops and sneaker writer Ananth Pandian:
Kawhi Leonard's sister just posted on Instagram that he will be back next week pic.twitter.com/7PiyqjYqWf
— AP (@Ananth_Pandian) November 8, 2017
Um, so, okay then.
The Spurs are the Spurs, so this really doesn’t matter. They won’t rush back Leonard. They can make do without him, as we’ve seen before, and as we’re seeing once again now.
Still, they need him. The offense needs him. Badly.
The Spurs are currently 19th in points scored per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com, and they ranked far lower, closer to 25th, before their beatdown of the Clippers. LaMarcus Aldridge has been mostly spectacular, but he doesn’t draw out defenders and create open looks for teammates in the same vein as Leonard and other superstar wings. San Antonio needs that off-the-bounce, driving juice only he provides.
Indeed, the Spurs will always have nights when they drop buckets on buckets on buckets. But this trend isn’t new. They struggled mightily to amass points when Leonard stepped off the floor last season, a problem that was only exacerbated once they began their playoff run. So their offense won’t suddenly be fine, for good, without Leonard—not even if Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills start shooting better, or if Dejounte Murray morphs into a willing and capable three-point shooter. The Spurs need Leonard. And for their sake, relative to the rest of the Western Conference, they better hope they get him sooner than Popovich’s comments suggest.
