Popovich has dealt with it this season with Leonard, Tony Parker and Danny Green. In their cases, as well as Thomas, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and others returning from injuries, the team's medical staff gives the coach guidelines for how much workload they can handle and how often — a challenge even for a coach who's been at the forefront of resting players.
"It's difficult because it's very strange to try to figure out rotations. You can't do it," Popovich said. "You want to put somebody on the court, but you can't because of minutes, so you put somebody else on the court that shouldn't be on the court based on matchups or what you're trying to do defensively or offensively.