Toronto Raptors: Five takeaways from an interesting preseason

Kawhi looks good but rusty

Kawhi Leonard’s health was a big question mark coming into this season. So far, so good from a health perspective.

Yet, with essentially 1.5 years removed from playing competitive NBA basketball, Kawhi Leonard looks rusty out of the gate. He is shooting only 37.5-percent of his shots, 13-percent of his threes and has been a bit sloppy with the ball, even if he is not turning it over a ton.

The biggest impact appears to be on the little things. He’s lost control of his dribble just enough to prevent him from getting to the lane, he’s been a hair slow to recognize a double team, and other small areas that add up over the course of a game.

Despite all of that, Kawhi leads the team in points, assists, and steals per game. Even if he is only 90-percent of his peak, 90-percent of Kawhi is better than most players.

In a perfect world would Kawhi be completely tuned up ready to go by the start of the regular season? Sure. But after playing so little basketball over such a long period of time, Toronto will be satisfied with a healthy Kawhi they can sharpen as the season progresses.