Gregg Popovich says Leonard’s rehab is down to ‘last steps’

All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard seems close to completing what San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called “the last steps” in a rehabilitation from a quadriceps injury that forced him to miss the entire preseason and the first month of the regular season.

“He’s starting to feel in a little bit better shape and feeling more confident,” Popovich said. “When he says, ‘I feel I can go,’ then he’s got to convince me,” Popovich said. “Because I’m going to err on the conservative side. We’ll see. He’s too valuable to bring back early.”