Kawhi Leonard is averaging over 25 points per game with a usage rate over 30 this season as he's continued to take on a bigger role within the San Antonio Spurs' offense.

Despite the increase in his role on offense, Leonard remains one of the NBA's best defensive players.

"He’s done it for us the entire time he’s been there," Gregg Popovich said. "At the offensive end, I think our players get less minutes than other players at those positions if I’m not mistaken. I don’t think he’s ever going to be worn out. I’m not going to play him like Latrell Sprewell. The bottom line is that he’s getting paid to do both. So get your ass out there and do both, if you want to know the truth. If you don’t want to do both then we’ll pay you $4 million."

The Spurs initially wanted Leonard to be a bigger version of Bruce Bowen.

"We’d be exaggerating if we said we knew what he was going to be," Popovich said. "Kind of like Manu (Ginobili). Or Tony (Parker). It just worked out for us. We needed size when we made that trade. Kawhi had such size and we thought he had the foot speed to move from an inside player to the three position. So we decided to roll the bones and found out that he’s got the same attitude that Tim Duncan had. He comes early, he stays late, he wants to be great. He’s just a sponge."

The San Antonio Spurs will retire Tim Duncan’s No. 21 jersey on Sunday, Dec. 18 when the Silver and Black host the New Orleans Pelicans at 6 p.m. CST. A special postgame ceremony honoring Duncan will take place on the AT&T Center floor.

Duncan will become the eighth Spurs player in franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters, joining Bruce Bowen (12), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), Avery Johnson (6), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and James Silas (13).

Originally selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan guided San Antonio to five NBA championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular-season record, giving the team a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over that time. He helped the Spurs reach the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons and became the only player in league history to start and win a title in three different decades. The Silver and Black won at least 50 games in his last 17 seasons, the longest streak in league history, and posted at least a .600 winning percentage in each of Duncan’s 19 seasons, an all-time record for most consecutive seasons with a .600 win percentage in the four major U.S. sports.

The San Antonio Spurs have assigned Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.

Bertans has appeared in seven games with San Antonio, averaging 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.

Forbes has seen action in six games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.2 points in 6.2 minutes.

Murray has played in five games with San Antonio, averaging 1.6 points in 4.4 minutes.

Tony Parker will be “out for a week or so” with the sore right knee.

Parker is averaging a sub-par 5.5 points and 4.0 assists per game after posting averages of 11.9 points and 5.3 assists over 72 games last season.

“I think he will be out for a week or so, and that will be it,” Popovich said. “He hurt his knee against Golden State (in the season opener on Oct. 25). He hyper-extended it and it’s just bruised basically, so we are giving him time to heal.”

The Spurs will start Patty Mills in the absence of Parker.

The San Antonio Spurs have assigned Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the D-League.

Murray was the Spurs' first round pick out of Washington.

Murray has only played briefly so far this season.

Kawhi Leonard has become one of the NBA's best players but Gregg Popovich maintains the San Antonio Spurs' trade of George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for Leonard benefitted both teams.

The Pacers traded Hill to the Utah Jazz this offseason after he helped them reach two Eastern Conference Finals.

"Yeah, that was tough [to trade Hill]," Popovich said. "I always made the joke with you guys that he was my favorite player. Then I called my favorite player and told him he wasn't here anymore. So that was real tough. But those kinds of trades are the best because it worked out for both teams. It was what Indiana needed, and it was what we needed, and it worked out. A lot of trades, one team will say, 'Oh, we killed them on that trade. We got the better end of that.' That's just childish. It was a good trade for both teams."

The Jazz value Hill's veteran presence.

"You probably can't value it enough, just having a guy who when he has the ball kind of calms everybody," Quin Snyder said of Hill. "He knows what to say and what to do. I know for me it's terrific to have somebody you can communicate with on the floor and who can relay [the message]."

LaMarcus Aldridge insists he's happy with the San Antonio Spurs despite various reports in the media that have suggested he could be dealt this season or next.

Aldridge was the new player with the Spurs last season whereas this year it is Pau Gasol.

“I’d much rather be on this side of it and watch him go through it than when I was going through it,” Aldridge said recently. “Our defensive schemes here are different than every other team, I feel, so he’s still trying to get that down. You end up overthinking offensively, so you’re not kind of into it at times. He’s going to be fine, but he is going through it right now.

“You do (overthink things), because I came from a system (in Portland) that was tailor-made for me. It was made where I could find my shots, and it was made to post me up and it was made to — tailored to my game — so it’s going from there to a system that’s not really tailored to me, so it was just different.”

Aldridge chose to sign with the Spurs just one summer ago.

“That’s just media,” Aldridge said. “And that’s why I don’t get into it. The organization is happy with me, and I’m happy with them, and as long as we keep a good relationship then everything is fine.

“It’s been great. My family is closer (to him in Texas than when he was in Portland). I’m closer to home (Dallas), and I’m in California during the summer (Newport Beach) so it’s just nice being in Texas year-round now.”

Kawhi Leonard finished second in MVP voting last season and is an early contender this season.

Leonard was asked whether he is shooting for an MVP this season as he continues to take on a bigger role with the San Antonio Spurs.

“Nah, I want to win; I want to win,” said Leonard. “I’m a team guy. I’ll turn in all my MVPs if I get an NBA championship.”

Leonard won MVP of the 2014 Finals.

“He’s a special player, without a question,” Pau Gasol said. “I’ve been around, and I’ve played against incredible players, but this guy is just unique. He’s definitely very confident and determined. He may not talk too much, and might keep it quiet most of the time, but his demeanor and his swagger is pretty high even though he doesn’t show much. He doesn’t express it. The way he plays, it’s pretty obvious.”

Ryan Arcidiacono will head to Austin to play for the Spurs’ D-League team.

Arcidiacono was originally signed on a two-year deal by the San Antonio Spurs but was released to cut the roster to 15.

Arcidiacono averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 assists in three preseason games.

In addition to Arcidiacono, the Spurs are hopeful guard Patricio Garino and forward Livio Jean-Charles will also join the team.