The load management is starting early.
Kawhi Leonard did not play in the Toronto Raptors' first pre-season game against the Miami Heat on Saturday and likely won’t play next week in Vancouver against the Los Angeles Clippers, head coach Darko Rajaković told reporters.
Leonard is focused on reconditioning after a long summer layoff, as his trade to the Raptors was paused due to the NBA's investigation into Leonard and the Clippers' salary-cap circumvention.
Sportsnet NBA insider Michael Grange added that it was expected that Leonard would not play.
The Raptors had just 12 active players for the game, with projected rotation members Jamison Battle (back), Kyle Anderson (knee) and Allen Graves (groin) also sitting out. Nate Bittle, Andre Jackson Jr., Trayce Jackson-Davis, Alijah Martin and Trey Jemison also did not dress for the contest.
Toronto started Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley and Ja'Kobe Walter.
The Miami Heat had all of their regulars, including off-season additions Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson, Grange added.
Leonard was acquired via a blockbuster trade first reported early in the off-season. Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round swap and two second-round picks were sent to the Clippers in return.
The 35-year-old forward is coming off a season where he posted career highs with 27.9 points per game on 62.9 per cent true shooting, also adding 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals over 65 games.
That performance earned Leonard a seventh-place finish in MVP voting and selections to the All-Star Game and All-NBA second team.
Leonard and Raptors vice president of health and performance Alex McKechnie helped popularize the term "load management" during the superstar's first season with the Raptors in 2018-19.
The Los Angeles, Calif. native was coming off a season where he played only nine games with the San Antonio Spurs and famously never played in back-to-back games before making a long playoff run and ultimately winning the NBA Championship.
Leonard has averaged only 57 games per season over the course of his career and missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn right ACL. However, he said he wants to play even more after crossing the NBA's 65-game threshold for award eligibility last season.
“I played 65 (games) last year,” Leonard said to reporters at Raptors media day. “Hopefully this year I can play more and even build on that, adding games in the playoffs.”
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