April 12th, 2018
By: Bill Simmons
Can Kawhi Leonard be a Game Changer in the West?
You know, if you really think about it, Zaza Pachulia might've ended the Spurs dynasty.
Superstar Kawhi Leonard has been sidelined all but 10 games this season with a mysterious injury, officially called "right quadriceps tendinopathy". A time table was never set for Leonard's return, and the injury proved to be much more serious than initially believed. The Spurs season reflects the loss of their superstar -- garnering 46 wins, this is the first time in 18 years the Spurs have not finished the year with 50 or more.
While there are no blatant signs of tension from the Spurs, rumors have swirled about instability in the locker room. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that the team had called together a meeting in March that centered frustration surrounding Kawhi. Although San Antonio's Danny Green denied the claims, it wouldn't be difficult to see how Kawhi's absence could affect overall morale.
How different would things have been if Zaza let Kawhi land on his baseline jumper in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals? After all, the game had been asbolutely dominated by the Spurs. They were up 22 with 20 minutes to go when Kawhi went down. While it's impossible to know for sure what would have happened, it's tough to imagine the Spurs melting down like they did with Kawhi still in the lineup. Not to get too hypothetical, but the Spurs looked really, really good. Like, could maybe win one, two.... three ..... maybe even
four games good.
While this season has been a bit of a disappointment for San Antonio, they're still in a familiar place -- the playoffs. With Kawhi's quad shockingly feeling better when the playoffs roll around, the Spurs get a chance at the defending champions in round one. While this Spurs team has been anything but dominant, returning the face of the franchise, a guy who happens to match up extremely well with the Warriors best player, gives the Spurs a shot again. In fact, this time around, the Warriors will be the team missing the face of the franchise -- two-time MVP Steph Curry is expected to miss the entire series.
Will the Spurs rally around Kawhi's return and pull off one of the most shocking upsets in the recent NBA? Probably not. Do I believe the Spurs and Kawhi can make the Warriors work for it? Absolutely. This series is packed with storylines and the talent shift from last season favors the underdogs. Keep your eyes on Kawhi.