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The Toronto Raptors are visibly trying to take it easy with their star forward, Kawhi Leonard. After the first two games of the season, where Leonard played over 35 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics, the Raptors have decided that they will rest Leonard on Saturday. So, the Raptors will surprisingly be without their star for Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski
The Raptors are resting Kawhi Leonard in Washington tonight, team says.
Leonard has had an impressive start to the season for his new team. During Wednesday nights matchup against the Cavs, he notched a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes. The Toronto crowd was thrilled with the arrival of their new superstar as he didn’t hold anything back during his debut.
He followed up his Raptors debut with yet, another stellar performance against arguably the Eastern Conference’s top dog in the Boston Celtics. Leonard led the team to a statement victory with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Already, Leonard is receiving MVP chants from his home crowd for his dominant play through two games.
The Raptors are going to remain cautious with their veteran superstar, though. As Leonard missed all of last season with an injury, the Raptors are going to undoubtedly take their time with Leonard, and avoid overworking him.
It was shocking news to many fans, who didn’t expect him to have a rest day so early on, but the Raptors are taking a much different approach than expected. We’ll see how Toronto fares without Leonard in the lineup when they take on the Washington Wizards in Saturday nights matchup.