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Kawhi Leonard Reportedly Has Medical Clearance to Play But Choosing to Stay on the Bench

Reports have it that although Kawhi Leonard has gotten the go-ahead from his doctors to play again on the NBA hard court, it was the player's choice to sit out the rest of the season. Meanwhile, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich recently implied that he does not expect Leonard to be back for the remainder of the 2017-18 regular season.

A recurring right quad injury has been keeping Leonard from the ball game for months now. It can also be recalled that even though he was one of the finalists for the 2017 Most Valuable Player award, he missed some crucial games before the Spurs' run for the 2016-17 season ended.

Recently, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that there were league sources who claimed that Leonard had already been medically cleared to return to the active roster without the danger of having his injury bother him again. It was also mentioned that Leonard had the final say in his actual return, and it was only likely to happen if the player deemed that the "discomfort" caused by the injury was manageable.

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While ESPN insiders are casting some bits of hope of seeing Leonard play again this year, Popovich thinks otherwise.

Popovich, who has been the Spurs head coach for over two decades, previously told the press that if Leonard decides he can start playing again soon, it was going to be "a tough decision" to make since it was already very late into the season to do so.

It is likely the veteran NBA coach was pertaining to the gameplay adjustments the team would have to make if Leonard returns. As of this writing, the Spurs are in a good position going into the playoffs with 35 wins and 25 losses while sitting at the second spot in the Southwest division.

"So that's why I'm just trying to be honest and logical. I'll be surprised if he gets back this year," Popovich added.

Meanwhile, the issue of Leonard's injury and timetable of his return is rumored to be causing a gap in his relationship with the organization. This rumor is adding another interesting twist to what could happen with Leonard's NBA career considering he is entering free agency with player option in 2019.

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