Kawhi Leonard Finishes Knee Treatment and Begins Raptors' Return-to-Play Process

Kawhi Leonard is heading back to Toronto, and the Raptors hope he will soon be back on the court. The team said Tuesday that the 35-year-old forward "has successfully completed treatment to address left knee swelling" and will now begin the return-to-play process in Toronto. An update is due in one week.

It is a cautiously positive turn for the Raptors. Sportsnet noted that there has been "no setback to his latest setback."

How we got here

Leonard felt something in his left knee during pregame warmups on Oct. 25 and was scratched from a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, USA Today reported. An MRI showed no structural damage. Before Tuesday, he had missed five straight games.

League sources told Sportsnet that Leonard had not suffered an injury but irritation caused by long-term wear and tear. Head coach Darko Rajakovic said on Oct. 29 that Leonard was being treated outside Toronto. At the time, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Leonard would miss at least three to four weeks. The Raptors did not say Tuesday whether that estimate has changed.

Leonard has appeared in only two games this season, most recently on Oct. 23. The left-knee issue is new. He tore the ACL in his right knee in the 2021 playoffs and its meniscus in the 2023 playoffs, both with the Los Angeles Clippers.

When could he return?

The team's next update is due around Nov. 10, and CBS Sports said Leonard is unlikely to play before the end of November. Sportsnet offered a slightly more optimistic estimate: since Leonard was still ramping up his minutes when the knee flared up, the next phase will likely be reconditioning. That could have him ready the week of Nov. 16, after missing 10 games.

In the meantime, CBS Sports expects Ja'Kobe Walter to keep starting, with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett leading the offence.

"We feel it everywhere"

The Raptors are 4-3 overall and 2-3 without Leonard, and visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

"We feel (his absence) everywhere. We're talking about Kawhi Leonard. We feel it defensively, offensively, the shot creation, the calmness he brings to the team on the court, a lot of stuff," Rajakovic told Sportsnet.

"Obviously he's just starting the season with us. There's going to be a period of him getting adjusted to the team and his teammates to him as well, but he's a high-level player who brings a lot of different stuff."

The sequel

Leonard returned to Toronto after a seven-year stint in Los Angeles, back where he won a championship. The seven-time All-NBA selection is playing the last year of his current contract, earning $50.3 million, according to Sportsnet. He signed an extension that runs through his age-37 season and includes a player option on the final year.

The coming week of reconditioning will show how much longer the Raptors have to manage without him.

For now, the focus is on getting him healthy. As Sportsnet put it, "Kawhi Leonard, The Sequel" has been as advertised, if not as hoped for, so far.