Kawhi Leonard Diagnosed With Partial Tear In Shoulder

The game against the Suns was just Leonard's eighth appearance of the season after missing the first 27 games with right quadriceps tendinopathy.

The All-Star suffered a shoulder injury in their previous encounter against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night and head coach Gregg Popovich has anxious fans by confirming the extent of the issue.

The Spurs have managed well without Leonard this season, ranking third in the Western Conference, and they are just 4-4 with him in the lineup thus far, but San Antonio desperately needs him at full strength to represent a real challenge to the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the playoffs.

The Spurs took an extra cautious route with Kawhi Leonard's return and have maintained that path upon his return. At least, that is how head coach Gregg Popovich feels. "It depends on how his shoulder goes".

Spurs' Gregg Popovich says Kawhi Leonard is dealing with a partial tear in shoulder

The campaign has been filled with injuries for San Antonio but they have rallied and remained competitive regardless of who they have on the floor. But an offseason quad injury would keep him out this season until December 12th.

On the plus side, the team believes he could return by Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers, per Wright.

It certainly makes the Spurs' record all the more impressive having accomplished a 27-13 start mostly without their MVP-caliber star.

The two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Defensive Player of the Year award victor is averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals and a block in under 23 minutes a game this season.