Kawhi Leonard won’t complain about the way officials have handled him this year, but Raptors coach Nick Nurse certainly isn’t holding back. Nurse and the Raptors are tired of Leonard getting rough treatment on the floor and it not resulting in any free throws or foul trouble for the other team.
Leonard, the priced trade acquisition from San Antonio who sat out most of last season with a lingering quad issue, is known for not being very vocal about, well, much of anything. But after another rough game on Sunday night, Nurse was sick of what officials have let slide when it comes to his star player.
Leonard had 29 points and 14 boards in a 95-86 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, a physical game where he somehow only got to the free throw line four times.
Speaking after the game, Nurse was furious about that number and what he’s seeing on the floor: Leonard taking abuse from the opposition and not getting the calls that should follow. According to ESPN, he called the run of play “ridiculous” and said one of the best players in the league can’t take “a hundred hits” and not get more free throws.
“Tonight was a very severe case of a guy who was playing great, taking it to the rim, and just absolutely getting held, grabbed, poked, slapped, hit and everything. And they refused to call any of it,” Nurse told reporters. “It was unbelievable to me. You can’t tell me one of the best players in the league takes a hundred hits in that game and shoots four free throws.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Nurse added. “The guy is one of the best players in the league. He doesn’t complain. They just turn their head and go the other way. It’s been going on all year.”
Leonard, for his part, was his typical reticent self when asked about how officials have handled the physicality on the floor.
“It’s been very physical. I just go with the next play,” Leonard said on Sunday. “I pride myself on just keep moving and keep going.”
Nurse might see a fine for what he said on Sunday, but the words are more symbolic and certainly could be worth the money for Toronto in the long run. There are lingering rumors that Leonard is focusing his free agent hopes elsewhere this summer, but perhaps one thing Toronto can show this season is that they’re on Leonard’s side. That’s something he clearly felt wasn’t the case in his last team.
