Kawhi Leonard knee injury surfaces an hour before tipoff
The Toronto Raptors scratched Kawhi Leonard about an hour before Sunday night's road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Swelling in his left knee was the reason. The timing gave Toronto almost no runway to reshape its rotation.
It is the first game Leonard has missed since returning to the Raptors, the franchise he led to the 2019 NBA title. Toronto acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.
A late scratch is the hardest kind to absorb. The pregame work is done. The matchup plan is set. Then a seven-time All-Star is unavailable.
Toronto Raptors lose their two-game sample
Leonard averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals as Toronto won its first two games of the season. Those two games are the only evidence the Raptors have of him in this lineup.
The shooting lagged. Leonard converted 32.4% from the field and made 4 of 14 3-point attempts over that stretch. A swollen left knee is one possible explanation for a cold start, though the report does not draw that link.
What the Raptors lose immediately is not a scheme piece but a body. Leonard absorbs attention on the wing and lets everyone else play a role they were signed to play.
Leonard's knee history with the Clippers and Spurs
Knee trouble is not new. Leonard has often experienced issues with both knees across a 15-year career, and the most severe cost him an entire season.
He missed all of 2021-22 with the Clippers after tearing the ACL in his right knee. The current swelling is in the left knee, not the one that required reconstructive surgery, according to related reporting.
His record stands regardless. Leonard is a seven-time All-Star and a two-time NBA Finals MVP, winning the award once with Toronto and once with the San Antonio Spurs.
Why the return to Toronto carries weight
Leonard's first stint with the Raptors lasted one season and ended with a championship in 2019, along with a Finals MVP. His offseason return put him back with a franchise where he has already won a title.
At 35, in his 15th season, the gap between available and absent is thinner than it once was. Toronto had him for two games. Sunday removed that option roughly 60 minutes before the ball went up.
What to watch after the scratch
The report carried no timeline and no diagnosis beyond swelling. Whether Leonard misses more than one game is unknown, and the report did not identify who absorbs his minutes.
For Toronto, the immediate question is availability, not production. The Raptors won their first two games with Leonard on the floor. They now have to find out what the lineup looks like without him, starting with a Minnesota team playing at home.
The next update on the left knee will say more than any pregame workout could.
The original report was published by gmanetwork.com.
