Photo: Tony Gutierrez, STF / Associated Press

Despite the announcement earlier this week that Kawhi Leonard will be out an “indefinite period” to continue rehabbing his right quadriceps tendinopathy injury, the two-time All-Star doesn’t plan to sit out the rest of the season, according to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and those close to Leonard.

“It’s not a setback,” a person close to Leonard told the Express-News, “just a regrouping.”

“Not that long an indefinite,” Popovich told reporters in New York when asked about shutting down Leonard for the season.

Leonard, 26, has only played nine games this season, averaging 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. He made his season debut last month against the Dallas Mavericks, with his best game (25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in a season-high 30 minutes) coming earlier this month in the win over the Knicks.

But outside the Spurs,

questions have arisen about whether the injury could threaten his career. That notion is being refuted by those close to Leonard.

“Career threatening shouldn’t even be in the conversation,” a person close to Leonard told the Express-News.

Unable to play back-to-back games and enduring pain in his right leg due to the injury, Leonard and the Spurs mutually agreed to allow him additional time to heal. They are hoping he could be ready to go after the All-Star break next month, sources told the Express-News.

“I want to get back out there and compete,” Leonard said before last month’s game against the Houston Rockets, “help the team win games and get back to my regular self.”

Before the recent loss to Atlanta, Popovich confirmed Leonard “didn’t feel right,” leading to the decision to keep him out.

“He didn’t re-injure it,” Popovich said. “He was having pain, not right after the game, but the next day at noon or that kind of thing. The pain wasn’t dissipating. It wasn’t going in the right direction. It was going the other way.”

Leonard has since returned to San Antonio to continue his rehab.

Jabari Young is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jyoung@express-news.net | @JabariJYoung