Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard only played in nine games last season with the San Antonio Spurs due to a lingering quadriceps injury, so the Raptors want to be cautious with the All-Star swingman and are thinking about the big picture.
So far in this young season, Leonard has played in five games and rested in two. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has gotten off to a very strong start, averaging 26.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and 92.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Nurse on rest plan for Kawhi in back-to-backs: "We are trying to be really smart with what we're doing… Its a long-term type of thing. And the biggest thing is its fluid. Its not like we can sit here and say 'OK, lets do the next 3 months'. We're just not gonna do it that way."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 30, 2018
The Raptors are wise to play it safe with Kawhi Leonard. They need him to be 100 percent for the playoffs if the franchise has aspirations of making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history. It's pretty evident from watching him play that Leonard doesn't have much rust in his game, so any chance the Raptors can rest their star player, they should take advantage of it.
Kawhi Leonard probably appreciates the Raptors being cautious with him. After everything that transpired last season with the Spurs, the two-time All-Star and his camp have to like how Toronto is taking a long-term view with his health.
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