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The Golden State Warriors frontcourt duo of Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are not fooled by Kawhi Leonard's careful integration to full health by the Toronto Raptors. A bar-measuring matchup against the team with the best record in the league suggests that Leonard has had a big hand in that success, which Durant has clearly seen through the first quarter of the season.
“I think he's back to where he was the year before last,” said Kevin Durant, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “He's creating a lot off the dribble, in the post, catching and shooting. He's just creating a lot of offense in different places on the floor and he's very efficient at it.”
While some executives don't buy that Kawhi Leonard is all the way back to his former self until the back-to-back restrictions are lifted and he's able to play 40-plus minutes more consistently (only done so once in 16 appearances this season), Draymond Green isn't fooled by the numbers, rather choosing to use the eye test to determine his take.
“He's pretty much back to his old self,” Draymond Green said. “Just physicality-wise of being able to sustain back-to-backs is the only thing… He's fresh, he's playing at a high level, the level he normally plays at.”
Green smiled.
“I think he's doing all right so far,” he said with a laugh.
Kawhi Leonard is putting up 24.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals — averages awfully similar to the ones he put up in his last fully healthy season with the San Antonio Spurs, beefed up with a visible improvement in his rebounding.
While his 3-point shot is taking a bit of time to come back to him, that is the only nitpick available to pounce on besides his back-to-back game restriction — still making for a formidable test for a Warriors team trying to hold down the fort until Stephen Curry's imminent return over the weekend.
