The Toronto Raptors will have to keep moving forward without Kawhi Leonard for at least another week. The team announced Tuesday that Leonard is continuing his reconditioning process after receiving treatment for swelling in his left knee. The Raptors added that another update will be provided in a week, meaning Leonard will miss a tough stretch of games against some of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
Leonard has already missed eight straight games, and Toronto is 2-4 without him in that stretch. With the schedule about to get even tougher, the Raptors could certainly use their star forward back in the lineup.
The 35-year-old has played just twice this season, averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 3.5 steals in 26 minutes per game. His shooting hasn’t been great in those appearances, either, connecting on just 32.4 percent of his shots from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range. Still, Toronto needs all the help it can get right now, and Leonard’s continued absence isn’t making things any easier.
The Raptors have the 8-2 Boston Celtics up next on Nov. 11, followed by the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 12. They’ll then face the defending champion New York Knicks in back-to-back games, on Nov. 15 and Nov. 17.
Currently, Leonard isn’t the only name to watch on the injury report. Scottie Barnes is questionable with a groin injury, Immanuel Quickley is questionable with a hamstring injury, and Collin Murray-Boyles is questionable due to an illness.
That’s a lot of uncertainty for a team heading into one of its toughest stretches of the season. Toronto will have to find a way to get through these matchups without Leonard, and potentially without other key players, too.
