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Kyle didn't get a whole lot of minutes his first few years here, and he's stepped into that starting role with Kawhi out very well. But I think Dejounte, Bryn, and Brandon have been wonderful in that regard. "It's something that every team deals with from time to time during a season. They've kept us above water," Popovich said. Popovich calls Aldridge "our most consistent player," adding that, "he's been a leader for us, helping all the other guys understand the system all the new guys the young guys." Pau Gasol, meanwhile, entered Tuesday's game leading the Spurs in assists (3.8) and blocks (1.46) and dished four assists against the Mavericks to go with 10 rebounds. Veteran power forward LaMarcus Aldridge also kicked up his game a notch, and leads the team in points, rebounds and minutes per game, while finishing as the Spurs' top scorer in 11 outings, including Tuesday's victory in which he notched his second 30-point game of the season (32 points), after producing just one such game all of last season. Bryn Forbes and 26-year old rookie Brandon Paul, in turn, are playing more minutes replacing Mills and Anderson in San Antonio's second unit along with Gay, the bench group's most dangerous scorer. In the backcourt, the Spurs replaced Parker by utilizing a combination of veteran sharpshooter Patty Mills (six starts), who torched the Mavericks for 13 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting before finishing the game with 19 points, and second-year man Dejounte Murray (seven starts), who has contributed 10 points or more on six occasions and finished with 10-plus rebounds twice.
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San Antonio replaced Leonard in the starting lineup with fourth-year pro Kyle Anderson, who entered Tuesday's game averaging career highs in points (8.3), rebounds (6.5), assists (2.5) and blocks (.92), having started all 14 games this season. "It's going to be fun to see what it will look like when we're all together." In the meantime, the Spurs continue to conduct business as if Leonard doesn't exist, as Popovich mentioned. "We haven't even all practiced together yet," forward Rudy Gay told. Parker took on two rehabilitation assignments with the team's G-League affiliate, and is shooting for a return in late November, although it's more likely Popovich sits him until December. Parker, meanwhile, is close to returning to action since recovering from offseason surgery to repair a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.
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Leonard hasn't taken the court for San Antonio since Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, a series he missed due to an ankle injury. The team refuses to place a timeline for recovery on Leonard due partially to the nature of recovery from quadriceps tendinopathy, as every player's body responds differently to treatment. Leonard has participated in some steps of the progression, but hasn't yet been able to practice with the team.
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The team won't allow Leonard to return to action until he completes a step-by-step progression that includes individual work to two-on-two drills, three-on-three, and five-on-five before full clearance for practice.
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Popovich provided an update on Leonard last week, saying he was "just coming along more slowly" than expected in rehabilitation.
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30, yet the star forward hasn't been able to participate in any of the team's games this season. You just move on as you might suspect." San Antonio made the announcement that Leonard would miss time with quadriceps tendinopathy on Sept.
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"It's we have to play now, other people have to pick up those minutes, and we have to figure out who to go to win in a different way. "It doesn't do much good to do the 'poor me' thing or keep wondering when he's gonna be back, or what are we gonna do?" Popovich said, when asked about Leonard. The Spurs snared three of Popovich's road wins on the season without what the coach calls the team's best scorer and defender (Leonard) or its top pick-and-roll player and leader ( Tony Parker). Popovich joins a distinguish list that includes Pat Riley (520 road wins) and Don Nelson (517). Yet Popovich walked out of American Airlines Center as the third coach in NBA history, per Elias Sports Bureau, to capture 500 road wins by virtue of San Antonio's 97-91 triumph over the Mavericks. "Nobody cares if you lost a good player, right? Everybody still wants to whip you." Certainly, the Dallas Mavericks harbored such desires. "I think a team just has to play in a sense like he doesn't exist," Popovich said. - DALLAS - Standing at a corner of the court inside the American Airlines Center, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich paused a tick to ponder the question Tuesday of how his squad remains competitive in the face of losing MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard.