Darko Rajakovic Reveals What’s Behind Kawhi Leonard’s Delayed Raptors Return

Kawhi Leonard hasn't played a game for the Toronto Raptors yet, and the team already knows it will have to be patient with him.

Leonard sat out Saturday's preseason opener against the Miami Heat and is expected to miss Toronto's next game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 10 in Vancouver. For a player joining a new team, that could raise some questions about how quickly he can build chemistry with his teammates.

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, however, made it clear that Toronto's approach has been intentional.

“We’ve got to have in mind the last time he played live against players was a (play-in tournament) game against Golden State last season,” Rajakovic said, via Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Brener. “He didn't play any live at all this whole summer.”

That context changes the way Leonard's absence looks.

Toronto isn't responding to a new injury or pulling him from games because something went wrong during training camp. Leonard has been working through a reconditioning process after not participating in full-contact work or the team's intrasquad scrimmage, and the Raptors are trying to build him back toward game action without rushing the process.

Rajakovic said Leonard will spend the next week working out before potentially being added to the preseason rotation later in the month.

“I think the plan is to have him sit out; he's going to have a whole week working out,” Rajakovic said. “Probably he's not going to play against the Clippers as well. And hopefully at that point, we're going to start including him in games after that.”

That could put Oct. 13, when the defending champion New York Knicks visit Scotiabank Arena, on the calendar as a possible first appearance for Leonard.

For Toronto, the bigger objective is making sure Leonard is ready when the games actually matter.

The 35-year-old played 65 games for the Clippers last season, averaging a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. That workload was enough to make him eligible for All-NBA awards, but Toronto's interest in Leonard extends well beyond getting him through the minimum number of regular-season games.

The Raptors acquired him because they believe he can be a major part of what they are building, and that makes his health more important than getting a few preseason minutes.

It is also worth noting how quickly the conversation around Leonard's availability has followed him to Toronto. Sports Illustrated's Cem Yolbulan described his absence from preseason as the “ultimate Kawhi Leonard experience,” pointing out that Clippers fans spent years dealing with uncertainty over when Leonard would be available.

Toronto is getting that part of the experience already.

The difference is that this time, the Raptors appear comfortable with it.

There are still four preseason games remaining before Toronto opens the regular season against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 21. Until then, Leonard just needs to be ready when Toronto finally starts playing games that count.