On Tuesday, Kawhi Leonard (quadriceps) made his long awaited season debut against the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 13 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 16 minutes of action. The Spurs lost the game 95-89, putting them at 3rd in the Western Conference with a 19-9 record. While the game didn't go the way the Spurs would have liked, they have to be pleased with how Leonard performed. His shot looked pretty fluid and he wasted no time getting into a groove, scoring 6 points within the first 5 minutes of the game.
While Leonard looked good, it was still clear that he wasn't 100%. He didn't make a lot of hard cuts to the basket and didn't throw down any dunks. He looked to be about 75-80% out there and it'll probably be at least a couple of weeks before he gets back to full strength.
What's most impressive in all of this is the fact that the Spurs went 18-9 without Leonard, who is considered by many to be the best player in the NBA. Many teams would have struggled to fill the void of their superstar, but the Spurs came together and found a way to make up for his absence through playing team basketball and buying into the system of their legendary coach Gregg Popovich.
LaMarcus Aldridge in particular really stepped up, averaging 22.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He did a really good job of being the go to option in Leonard's absence and really shouldering the scoring load. Rudy Gay and Kyle Anderson also deserve a lot of credit for the way they filled in at the small forward spot. Together, they combined for over 20 points per game and did a stellar job at giving the Spurs production out on the wing. Without Aldridge, Gay, and Anderson, the Spurs wouldn't have survived like they did.
While it will be no easy task for the Spurs to win the Western Conference crown, they have to like where they sit right now. They're 3.0 games back of the Golden State Warriors and 3.5 games back of the Houston Rockets. Provided Kawhi Leonard can stay healthy going forward, they're going to be really difficult to stop come May and possibly June.
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