Kawhi Leonard will be rested on the back-to-back versus the Wizards tonight. It would have been his third game in four nights.
Delon Wright will continue to miss time as he recovers from the adductor strain.
If you were of the view that the Raptors should tread the regular season lightly, then this is music to your ears, even if it means not watching Kawhi tonight. For years fans have groaned about the regular season wearing the players down to the point where there’s not much in the tank come post-season, so if this is Nick Nurse’s strategy right from the get-go, he certainly agrees with that view.
Having missed most of last season and just starting to recover, Kawhi Leonard is a special case, and the Raptors are clearly being diligent. The cynic in one might see this as an issue since a player shouldn’t need rest this early in the season, and that this is masking larger concerns. I don’t share that view. Leonard has played an average of 36.5 minutes in the first two games, which is 3.1 minutes higher than he’s ever played before, so early trends aren’t jiving with his history.
This should translate to more time for Norman Powell who played 10 minutes last night against Boston. With Delon Wright out, CJ Miles will also feature more at the three, and given that there’s not exactly a powerhouse of a player at the three for the Wizards, the individual matchup at the three should not be a concern.
Hey – if you like experimental lineups, this is great!
