Spurs' Manu Ginobili Does Not Expect Kawhi Leonard To Return This Season

Ginobili thinks the team has to move on from waiting for Kawhi to come back.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili isn't optimistic that injured teammate Kawhi Leonard will return this season, and he doesn't think the team should spend too much time worrying about Leonard's status. 

"He is not coming back," Ginobili said, according to ESPN. "For me, he's not coming back because it's not helping [to think Leonard is returning]. We fell for it a week ago again...But we have to think that he's not coming back, that we are who we are, and that we got to fight without him."

Leonard, 26, has only played in nine games this season due to a right quadriceps injury, averaging 16.2 points per game. The forward last played on Jan. 13 and was originally expected to return in mid-March, according to ESPN. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich also told ESPN that he would not guess a date for Leonard's return because the forward needs to be cleared by his doctors first.

Earlier this season, it was reported that the uncertainty over Leonard's return was creating a strain within the organization, but the Spurs denied any rift.

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The Spurs (41-30) are currently tied for fifth place with the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference. They have 11 games remaining in the regular season.