The Toronto Raptors dropped an update on Kawhi Leonard this afternoon, sharing that he is still in the reconditioning process for his left knee swelling, and another update will come next week. For some, the immediate reaction is going to be screaming about how “he can’t keep getting away with this,” like that Jesse Pinkman Breaking Bad meme. But I actually view this as a win for the Raptors. Obviously, this Raptors team is going to be so much better when Leonard plays and is on the court than when he is watching from the sidelines in a New Balance tracksuit.
But at the same time, it was so clear watching Leonard in preseason and in his two regular-season appearances that he wasn’t game-fit. Conditioning-wise, he huffed and puffed a lot, and he ran really weirdly. He looked like a player who had been rushed back into big minutes at 35, when he still needed time to get into game shape.
So to that I say, give him time. Let him figure things out. No training staff in the league has been able to get more out of Leonard and his body than the Raptors in 2019. They know this guy. They know what he needs and how to maximize him. So fans just need to trust the process.
Raptors are making the right decision for Kawhi Leonard's long-term health
The way I see things with Leonard and his health is that the Raptors may have thrown him into the fire before he was fully game-ready, and instead of letting things get worse, they pulled the plug early. Leonard is coming off a 65-game season where he shouldered an entire offense for a sinking Los Angeles Clippers team and finished top-10 in the MVP race. Between the investigation and his late arrival in Toronto, it’s fair to assume that he didn’t get the same opportunity to work with the Raptors and their medical staff that players typically get in the offseason.
So let’s just chill on the one player who has brought this franchise to the promised land in the past and decided to return after an ugly exit, seemingly looking to make things right.
Serious question: would you rather have Leonard through games 3-20 or games 30 and on? Feels like a pretty easy answer, right? The Raptors traded for Leonard this summer to open up a window to compete for another championship banner, not to burn him out by the end of the regular season.
I know fans have scars from his load management days, but that isn’t this situation. And yes, some talking heads in the Toronto space may try to push this narrative and convince you that Leonard still doesn’t want to be here, but that’s just clickbait. Especially when some of those same voices couldn’t name half the Raptors starters from Monday night's game against Memphis.
Would it be great to get an update saying Leonard was ready to go? Yes, 1000 percent. But if he’s not ready, he’s not ready. This team needs Kawhi Leonard at 100 percent when the games really start to matter, and the Raptors, by giving him ample rehab time, are giving themselves the best chance of making that happen.
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