Kawhi Leonard only played in nine games last season with the San Antonio Spurs due to a lingering quadriceps injury. You often hear athletes say when the game they love is taken away from them, their appreciation of the sport grows even more.
Leonard, now a member of the Toronto Raptors, expressed those sentiments Tuesday after practice with reporters, saying he missed just about everything the game of basketball has to offer.
Kawhi Leonard on what he missed about playing meaningful basketball over the last 9 months: "Everything. Bad calls, missing shots, making shots, winning games, high fives with teammates, and just being competitive out there. Just everything. I love the game."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 16, 2018
When you're an elite athlete like Leonard is, sitting back and watching others compete and play the sport which you love can take a hefty toll on you mentally. Your mind starts to drift into negative thoughts and emotions. Leonard, an introvert at heart, appears to be opening up more this season and it shouldn't come as a surprise. This is a guy who was shelved to only rehab work last season and hidden from everything.
Leonard requested a trade from the Spurs in the offseason after having a season to forget last year. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was cleared to return from his injury at one point, but never received clearance from his own doctors to play. That caused serious tension between Leonard and the Spurs.
Tony Parker's comments about his own quad injury being “a hundred times worse” than the ailment Leonard dealt with was the “last straw” for Leonard, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Parker and Manu Ginobili reportedly led a players-only meeting in which Spurs veterans asked Leonard whether he planned to return in 2017-18. Leonard was caught off guard by the meeting and left the team for New York to rehab his injury.
Leonard can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019 if he declines his 2019-20 player option with the Raptors, something he is expected to do. The Raptors can offer Leonard almost $50 million more than any other team in 2019, including a fifth year.
Toronto has a great chance to get to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history with Leonard in the mix. All eyes will be on the quiet superstar this season to see if he can play and produce at a high level after being out for so long.
In 407 games with the Spurs, Kawhi Leonard averaged 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He was the 2014 Finals MVP as well.
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