In game one of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, Kawhi Leonard landed badly on his ankle after a jump-shot contested by former Warriors C Zaza Pachulia. This ankle injury would be significant enough to keep him out the rest of the season. He’d recover for a return in December of the next season but suffer a partial shoulder tear.
That whole season there’d be a rift between the Spurs and Leonard leading into the offseason. Action would finally be taken in July, as Kawhi would be traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Danny Green in exchange for Spurs G DeMar DeRozan, F Jakob Pöltl, and a protected first-round pick.
After the trade, many questioned both Kawhi’s health and mentality coming into the season. Some questioned if he’d even play since his mind was reportedly set on a Los Angeles team. Others would question if Kawhi would be the same player against amidst all his injuries. Not many people had faith in Leonard or the Raptors as a whole. They’re clearly proving them wrong at the start of this season. Kawhi Leonard is back.
So Far
The Raptors have played two games this season against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the presumed Eastern Conference “favorite” Boston Celtics. Although it’s not a large sample size, that doesn’t undermine how good Kawhi was in these two matchups.
In the Raptors’ season opener against Cleveland, he notched 24 points on 9-22 FG and 1-3 3PT. In addition to this, he had 13 rebounds and two assists to lead the Raptors to a 116-104 victory. This games had its ups and downs for Leonard, but overall he looked very good in what was realistically his first game back while being fully healthy. He was scorching the Cavs both in the paint and with his slick mid-range shots. Both are things that should remain constant throughout the season
The second game of the season was a big one against the Boston Celtics. When the NBA schedules these big games in the first week, they do it with the mindset that there will be no injuries so sides should be fully loaded.
For the most part, that was the case in this game. The two “best” teams in the East going head-to-head in Toronto for temporary bragging rights. Kawhi came up huge in this game. He totaled 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists on 10-25 shooting. 22 of those points came in the second half and led the Raptors to a huge 113-101 win over Boston. Boston played solid defense, but Kawhi just played better offense.
The Future and Beyond
If anything is proven by Leonard so far this season, it’s that he’s a top-three player in the league. His offensive game is deep and lethal along with having the best defense in the league as well. The Great TPR had Kawhi #3 in his top players for the ‘18-’19 season list and it has proved true.
People forget that the Eastern Conference regular season champions actually got better this season. Lowry and Green are deadly from deep, with Kawhi who can fairly shoot the three too. If anything, I believe Kawhi can lead the Raptors to the NBA finals with 58+ wins (sorry Uncle Mike). Far fetched? I think not. For now, it seems like my prediction of the Raptors getting the first seed remains intact.
Am I jumping the gun on Kawhi too early? Is Kawhi not going to end up the player we all expect? Are the Celtics going to remain the favorite in the East? Maybe it’s too early to judge, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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