Teams’ most important players usually don’t play a ton in preseason. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley played just 12 minutes each in the Raptors’ preseason opener, while RJ Barrett played 17 minutes, Jakob Poeltl and Ja’Kobe Walter logged just 18 minutes, and Collin Murray-Boyles saw 20 minutes of action off the bench. The Heat were just as careful with their starters. All of them played fewer than 15 minutes.
Nevertheless, preseason is a good first opportunity for players to build chemistry and get to know each other on the court outside of practice. The Raptors have a lot of returning players, but they are also trying to integrate a very big new piece with Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard has struggled with injuries and availability for years now, and the Raptors will have to put in a lot of work to keep him healthy enough to help them win in the playoffs. So, on one hand, it’s not very surprising that he missed the first preseason game and is expected to miss another one as well. On the other hand, Leonard’s absence is costing the team precious opportunities to build chemistry and work through hiccups in games that don’t mean anything.
“I think the plan is to have him sit out; he’s going to have a whole week working out,” Darko Rajakovic said about Leonard’s availability, per Raptors reporter Michael Grange. “Probably he’s not going to play against the Clippers (in Vancouver next Saturday) as well. And hopefully at that point, we’re going to start including him in games after that.”
After the game against the Clippers, the Raptors have two more preseason games against the New York Knicks and one against the Detroit Pistons. Even if his minutes are limited, it will be important for Leonard to get some in-game run with his new teammates.
Integrating Leonard will be an adjustment
As far as available veteran superstars go, Kawhi Leonard is the perfect fit for the Raptors. He fits their defensive identity and can be a supercharged version of what Brandon Ingram did offensively for the Raptors last season. So, he should be a smooth fit with the other four starters.
Still, getting used to new teammates, new coaches, and a new system can take some time. Many of the younger players on the Raptors roster never played with a superstar, a Finals MVP, like Leonard.
Even if the fit is perfect and Leonard has experience fitting in with a new team, there will be an adjustment period. If the Raptors can figure out at least some things in preseason, it will save them some trouble early in the regular season. Trading for Leonard creates big expectations for the Raptors. While no one should expect the Raptors to be a well-oiled machine right from the jump, a rocky start could lead to some overreactions.
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