Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 2 of the Western Conference finals with an ankle sprain, though the San Antonio Spurs’ MVP candidate has already made it back from the injury once this postseason.
Ankle injuries in basketball are not uncommon, at any level. But when you’re one of the best players in the league, playing on the NBA’s postseason stage against the league’s best team, it becomes a big deal.
Add in how some are questioning (see Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ) whether Leonard was injured by a dirty play in the series opener Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, and it’s even bigger.
Still, none of that changes the uphill challenge Leonard faces getting back on the court again. He returned after missing the close-out game against Houston last week and looked fine in the opener against the Warriors until he re-injured his ankle.
“It’s always unique when you have injuries to lower extremities because you can’t still train as normal,” ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said. “Like, if you have injuries to your hips, your quads, your hamstrings or your knees or your Achilles or feet, it just hampers your ability to not only do the rehab but to keep your conditioning up.”