Kawhi Leonard Praised the Raptors For How They’ve Handled His Workload


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Kawhi Leonard played only nine games for the San Antonio Spurs due to a quad injury last year, but he is back in the conversation of the best players in the NBA this season. He was an All-Star starter last month and is in contention for an all-NBA honor at forward.

Time has helped Leonard heal from the injuries that derailed his seventh season in the league, but the Toronto Raptor has also praised his current team for the way they have handled his health throughout the season.

Leonard is averaging more minutes this year (34.3 per game) than he did in his final healthy season in San Antonio (33.4). However, that season saw him take the court for 74 games, while the Raptors have been much more judicious with his availability. Leonard hasn’t played both games of a back-to-back all season, and has been given additional rest days for “load management” throughout the year. He is on track to appear in 59 games this season, which would be the second-lowest total of his career. Leonard previously played in 58 games during his sophomore year, back in 2012-13.

Although Leonard’s inconsistency in the lineup combined with Kyle Lowry’s early-season injury and Toronto’s roster overhaul at the trade deadline have prevented the team from coalescing as well as it might have hoped heading into the playoffs, the primary concern has to be the health of the Raptors’ best player. In that respect, this regular season would have to be considered a resounding success for Toronto. Furthermore, there are no back-to-backs in the postseason, so that isn’t an issue for Leonard going forward.

As the Raptors continue to recruit Leonard through free agency, building a strong relationship with the enigmatic star will go a long way towards securing his services for next season and beyond. Thus far, it appears that Toronto is on the right track.

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