Yesterday morning, the bombshell dropped that Kawhi Leonard would be missing his first stint of games this season, with twin reports coming directly from the Raptors, and ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania posted this morning that Leonard would not be playing for “a period of weeks due to swelling in his left knee” despite “no structural damage.” The Raptors, almost simultaneously, released notice that reevaluation of Leonard would take place within a week, but that there was “no acute injury,” rather,
just swelling.
Leonard swiftly came out with his own statement, posting on socials about the circumstances, thanking Raptors fans for their support and committing to a speedy return.
First of all, seeing Kawhi sign his messages as “Whi” is very cool, and is a nickname for himself that is certainly overshadowed by his “Klaw” monicker. But, more importantly, Leonard being this active on social media on his personal accounts is a new development that has arisen since he began the process of rejoining the Raptors earlier this year.
There seems to be an effort at transparency from both Leonard and the organization, that especially from the latter, is particularly appreciated. Much has been said about Kawhi’s famous aloofness appearing diminished as his second stint on the Raps begins, and this statement today, addressing fans directly in tandem with Raptors reports, is a breath of fresh air from the superstar.
In Leonard’s absence, there are signs of what the Raptors might look like. RJ Barrett predicted more time with the ball in his hands, suggesting that his role as an offensive creator will become even more important with Leonard out. Barrett produces a great deal of gravity on his downhill drives, which would perfectly compliment the return of an outside shooter like Ja’Kobe Walter to the starting lineup.
Walter was fantastic in his first outing as a starter, scoring 22 points and nabbing two steals in a loss against Minnesota, and it will be likely that Walter settles into this role for the upcoming stint of games. While Collin Murray-Boyles has contributed in a more public manner to the Raptors’ success over the past two years, starting him at small forward in place of Leonard would tank the Raptors’ spacing further, on a team that already struggles with range.
Whether or not the Raptors are able to rally in Leonard’s absence will be a prime indicator of how well the rest of the season will go, with Leonard all but certain to have other instances where his at-times shaky availability will force the team to run modified units. The next few games against the shorthanded Orlando Magic will be a prime opportunity for the Raptors to field modified lineups and see what might work against a team that is also operating without its primary offensive piece.
Leonard will hopefully be back soon enough that any experimentation comes in the form of a temporary patch rather than a long-term fix, but with his public approach to handling his load management, it seems that fans will be well informed about any decisions that arise.
