Analyzing Kawhi Leonard's Potential Return
Analyzing Kawhi Leonard's Potential Return
On Monday, reports surfaced that Kawhi Leonard will be practicing with the Spurs this week and could be returning to NBA games in late March.
On Monday, reports surfaced that Kawhi Leonard will be practicing with the Spurs this week and could be returning to NBA games in late March.
The mysterious saga of Kawhi Leonard took a turn for the worse last week. Gregg Popovich told reporters that he would be “surprised” if Leonard played again this year. Soon afterward, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard had been medically cleared to return to the lineup, but was opting to remain out. This, in addition to reports that Leonard feels “disconnected” and “distant” from the team, was enough to cause mass panic among Spurs fans.
However, it appears that this confusing, concerning ordeal may finally be coming to an end. On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright reported that Kawhi Leonard plans to return to the Spurs this week and hopes to be back in games by late March.
The report also indicated that Leonard spent three weeks in New York to receive further consultation on his quad injury. While there, he worked out at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters gymnasium. He isn't quite healthy enough for 5-on-5 practices with teammates, but ideally, he will be ready for that level of intensity soon.
On Tuesday, Jeff McDonald of MySanAntonio reported that Kawhi Leonard has returned to the Spurs' practice facility, though he did not participate in practice. "It's always good to see his face," Spurs' guard Danny Green said. "He said he'll be back, so we knew he was going to be back eventually at some point -- playing-wise, not just being around. If he's that confident mentally, I know he's going to get the work done to get it done physically."
These reports bring up a few important points. First, it appears that the relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs organization may not be as damaged as was initially feared. It was strange to hear this kind of drama coming from San Antonio since the team usually keeps discord, if there indeed is any, private.
Leonard's disconnect from the team was causing concern because he is nearing the end of his contract with the Spurs. Though he will not enter free agency until the summer of 2019, the Spurs can offer him a supermax, 5-year extension this summer. If he really was seriously injured, there was the possibility the organization may not offer it. Even if they did, if their relationship was damaged enough, Kawhi might decide not to resign, opting instead to test the waters of free agency.
If Leonard is healthy enough to resume play this year, it is likely that the Spurs will offer him the extension. And while there's still the real possibility he is upset with the organization, the fact that they have reconnected only increases the probability of him resigning with the Spurs.
In addition, it is very encouraging that Leonard is feeling comfortable enough to make the decision to return to action. His injury failed to heal for so long that it was beginning to look concerning for his future. There was concern that he may be in danger of suffering a similar fate to Derrick Rose or Brandon Roy, reduced to a shell of their former selves by injury. However, since he is feeling well enough to try to return to the court, the likelihood of such an unfortunate fate decreases.
Finally, this news means the Spurs have renewed hope for this season. All they have to do is make it to late March, and their superstar will be ready to reinforce them.
Of course, we don't know what kind of Kawhi we will get when he returns. It's unlikely that he will be the MVP caliber player we grew accustomed to last season, at least for a while. In addition, he will probably be on a minutes restriction, so it's not as though the Spurs will suddenly be a championship team when he returns. However, having Kawhi, even a restricted, not at his peak level Kawhi, is definitely better than not having him. In the nine games he played this year, he managed to average 16 points, 2 steals, 1 block, and 5 rebounds per game in just 23 minutes.
Without Leonard, this season was beginning to look like a bit of a wash, by Spurs standards. They would be lucky to make it out of the first round, let alone make it to the NBA Finals. Now that Kawhi Leonard may be returning, they at least have hope that they might be able to upset the Rockets or Warriors. Hopefully, the potential return of Leonard will be enough to energize this Spurs team and help them maintain their spot in the fourth seed.
The mysterious saga of Kawhi Leonard took a turn for the worse last week. Gregg Popovich told reporters that he would be “surprised” if Leonard played again this year. Soon afterward, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard had been medically cleared to return to the lineup, but was opting to remain out. This, in addition to reports that Leonard feels “disconnected” and “distant” from the team, was enough to cause mass panic among Spurs fans.
However, it appears that this confusing, concerning ordeal may finally be coming to an end. On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright reported that Kawhi Leonard plans to return to the Spurs this week and hopes to be back in games by late March.
The report also indicated that Leonard spent three weeks in New York to receive further consultation on his quad injury. While there, he worked out at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters gymnasium. He isn't quite healthy enough for 5-on-5 practices with teammates, but ideally, he will be ready for that level of intensity soon.
On Tuesday, Jeff McDonald of MySanAntonio reported that Kawhi Leonard has returned to the Spurs' practice facility, though he did not participate in practice. "It's always good to see his face," Spurs' guard Danny Green said. "He said he'll be back, so we knew he was going to be back eventually at some point -- playing-wise, not just being around. If he's that confident mentally, I know he's going to get the work done to get it done physically."
These reports bring up a few important points. First, it appears that the relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs organization may not be as damaged as was initially feared. It was strange to hear this kind of drama coming from San Antonio since the team usually keeps discord, if there indeed is any, private.
Leonard's disconnect from the team was causing concern because he is nearing the end of his contract with the Spurs. Though he will not enter free agency until the summer of 2019, the Spurs can offer him a supermax, 5-year extension this summer. If he really was seriously injured, there was the possibility the organization may not offer it. Even if they did, if their relationship was damaged enough, Kawhi might decide not to resign, opting instead to test the waters of free agency.
If Leonard is healthy enough to resume play this year, it is likely that the Spurs will offer him the extension. And while there's still the real possibility he is upset with the organization, the fact that they have reconnected only increases the probability of him resigning with the Spurs.
In addition, it is very encouraging that Leonard is feeling comfortable enough to make the decision to return to action. His injury failed to heal for so long that it was beginning to look concerning for his future. There was concern that he may be in danger of suffering a similar fate to Derrick Rose or Brandon Roy, reduced to a shell of their former selves by injury. However, since he is feeling well enough to try to return to the court, the likelihood of such an unfortunate fate decreases.
Finally, this news means the Spurs have renewed hope for this season. All they have to do is make it to late March, and their superstar will be ready to reinforce them.
Of course, we don't know what kind of Kawhi we will get when he returns. It's unlikely that he will be the MVP caliber player we grew accustomed to last season, at least for a while. In addition, he will probably be on a minutes restriction, so it's not as though the Spurs will suddenly be a championship team when he returns. However, having Kawhi, even a restricted, not at his peak level Kawhi, is definitely better than not having him. In the nine games he played this year, he managed to average 16 points, 2 steals, 1 block, and 5 rebounds per game in just 23 minutes.
Without Leonard, this season was beginning to look like a bit of a wash, by Spurs standards. They would be lucky to make it out of the first round, let alone make it to the NBA Finals. Now that Kawhi Leonard may be returning, they at least have hope that they might be able to upset the Rockets or Warriors. Hopefully, the potential return of Leonard will be enough to energize this Spurs team and help them maintain their spot in the fourth seed.