The San Antonio Spurs are currently in a battle for a playoff spot out west. With just 10 games remaining on the schedule, San Antonio finds itself as the fifth seed in the Western Conference, only 1.5 games ahead of Utah at No. 8.
Whether San Antonio earns a playoff spot will depend heavily on if Kawhi Leonard returns from a season-long quad injury that has kept him out all but eight games.
Leonard’s status remains unclear. But other Spurs players are reportedly “imploring” the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year to return this season.
“The San Antonio Spurs held a players-only meeting to implore All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard to return to the lineup and help the team in its push for the playoffs,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday. “Spurs guard Tony Parker, a four-time NBA champion, quarterbacked the meeting with his teammates and Leonard after Saturday night’s victory over Minnesota.”
This comes on the heels of teammate Manu Ginobili indicating that Leonard would not return this season.
It’s not yet known whether the meeting will have any real impact on Leonard’s decision. What we do know is that there seems to be a split between the Spurs’ front office and their best player regarding the injury.
Leonard originally suffered the quad injury in last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He attempted to return earlier in the season, only to be shut down.