Over the weekend, it was revealed that Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss the entire preseason as he continues to rehab from a right quadriceps injury. Last season, the San Antonio Spurs appeared to be on the verge of upsetting the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals until Leonard went down with a sprained ankle, keeping him out for the rest of the series.
While this is the preseason and not the playoffs, it is not good for the Spurs to start their season right where they left off, which is with an injured Kawhi Leonard. In order for them to come out of the Western Conference, they need to have Leonard playing his best basketball. If he isn't able to stay healthy, they have no chance at reaching the NBA Finals.
While this should be obvious to everyone who follows the NBA, it is still important to underscore this. With all the major moves that happened this offseason, it is easy to forget about the Spurs and just how dangerous they are. They were perhaps a healthy Kawhi Leonard away from winning the NBA Finals last season, which just goes to show how good Leonard is and how significant his health is to the fate of this NBA season.
Last season, Leonard averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 48.5% shooting from the field, 38.0% shooting from three-point range, and 88.0% shooting from the foul line, establishing himself as one of the most multidimensional players in the league. He does so much for this Spurs team on both of the floor. With him, they can compete with any team in the league over the course of a seven game series. Without him, they're a playoff team that might win a first round series. His impact is that significant.
Hopefully, Leonard's absence in the preseason is just an indicator of the Spurs being extra cautious with him and nothing more than that. If he's ready to roll on opening night without any restrictions, it will be fair to wonder whether or not this blog post is an overreaction to what happened last season. At the same time, given what happened last season, it's hard to call this an overreaction after seeing what happened to the Spurs once Leonard went down.
It should be noted that the Spurs have other things to worry about in addition to Leonard's health. Tony Parker is recovering from a torn quadriceps tendon and it isn't yet clear when he'll be able to play. The Spurs can't afford to start the season with two of their best players unable to contribute. At the very least, they need to have Leonard ready to rock and hope that Parker is able to return sooner rather than later. As good as LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay are, they are a supplement to those two guys and aren't the pulse of this team. They'll play much better when they have those guys to lean on.
At this point, if you are the Spurs, you just have to hope that Leonard is able to go at the start of the regular season and that this quadriceps injury isn't anything too serious. The Spurs have the pieces to contend for a title this season, but they need to stay healthy and make sure they don't get themselves behind the eight ball early on. The Western Conference is simply too loaded for them to overcome a sluggish start to the season.
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