Kawhi Leonard will not play for the Toronto Raptors against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday due to load management, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

This will be the 17th game Leonard has missed this year, and the Raptors have been especially cautious with his health all season. Leonard has not dressed on three separate occasions in the last three weeks under the load management designation.

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This idea of load management has become more and more pertinent for star players throughout the NBA, including the likes of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, as they focus on managing workload throughout a long season. Although Leonard has already missed 17 games, he is averaging over 34 minutes per game, the highest mark of his career.

The 27-year-old has helped spearhead the Raptors in arguably his finest season as a professional. Leonard is averaging career highs in points (27.0) and rebounds (7.5), and he has meshed well with his teammates in Toronto. Leonard has established himself as the kind of closer the Raptors need, scoring 38 points and hitting a game-winning jumper against the Trail Blazers on Friday.

The Raptors are still just beginning to jell with their core of Leonard, Lowry and Marc Gasol all getting on the same page. While the designated rest days are a nice precaution for a player effectively coming off a yearlong absence, the team will need to acclimate in a hurry before the end of the season.

With Toronto still aiming to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs, they will need Leonard to be as healthy as possible in April and May.