Kawhi Leonard will miss time with a partial tear in his shoulder

Kawhi Leonard will miss time with a partial tear in his shoulder

NBA

Kawhi Leonard will miss time with a partial tear in his shoulder

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Kawhi Leonard has a partial tear in his left shoulder, according to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs don’t think the injury is too serious, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, and haven’t ruled Leonard out for Thursday night’s game against the Lakers. But a second injury to the team’s All-Star is a cause for alarm. The cause of the tear is still unclear, as is a true timetable for his return.

“It’s too bad,” Pop told the media, according to San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn. “He was starting to get back into form a little bit after playing a couple of games.”

Leonard missed the Spurs’ first 27 games of the season recovering from a quad injury, and only played in eight games this season on a minutes restriction, making this new injury all the more upsetting.

The Spurs have fared well without him still, at 27-13. That’s the third-best record in the West. But they’ll need him at full health for the playoffs.