Kawhi Leonard says that he is healthy and wants to play for the Raptors

In his first public appearance as a member of the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard looked like a man ready to answer any questions he had on media day about his health, the San Antonio Spurs and his interest elsewhere as a free agent in 2019.

Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm "type =" text "content =" In case of doubt, Leonard spoke about the city of Toronto, Raptors fans and his love for basketball, he said his goal was to win a championship this year. and avoid the commitment. Data-reactid = "23"> If in doubt, Leonard talked about the city of Toronto, fans of Raptors and his love for the game of basketball. He said his goal was to win a championship this year. and avoid the commitment. It also deters persistent questions about his game future, leaving them unanswered.

So here's what we learned, and did not learn, from Leonard's 20-minute session with the media.

Kawhi Leonard can actually laugh

We like to think that Leonard is a basketball cyborg devoid of emotion, because he projects himself as a medium, that his teammates play the storytelling. Basically, he made a mark.

So, it was not surprising that when Leonard asked him what he wanted Torontonians to know about him, he said in his monotonous signature: "Uh, I'm a funny guy. Obviously, I love the game of basketball.

It was surprising to see him laugh, even awkwardly:

Leonard considers himself healthy now

A mysterious quad injury limited Leonard to all but nine games with the Spurs last season. What was already a complex problem got worse as the season progressed, the Spurs eliminating Leonard for a return and the defensive double player of the year looking for a second opinion. He eventually took his rehab in New York, where he stayed during the playoffs of the first round of San Antonio.

The question for teams asking for information about Leonard was centered not only on his health and his free agency, and on the Raptors. In Leonard's eyes, the first half of this parlay is a lock to pay.

Kind of.

"Right now, I feel good," he said, ready to play basketball.

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – smt Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""Now" This is not as reassuring as you would like if you are the Raptors, but Leonard said that he had spent the summer trying to regain his body and that he feels ready to face the season, which is more encouraging than anything he said. the last months of the 2017-18 campaign in San Antonio. "data-reactid =" 36 ">"Now" This is not as reassuring as you would like if you are the Raptors, but Leonard said that he had spent the summer trying to regain his body and that he feels ready to face the season, which is more encouraging than anything he said. the last months of the 2017-18 campaign in San Antonio.

Asked what he hopes to earn from the rest of his career, Leonard cited the usual – the championships and record performances – but he also stated that his number one goal was to have "a long career and healthy ", which seemed to imply was concerned about its long-term status. Or maybe he just does not want to see what he did last season. What it was, exactly, we still do not know.

Leonard avoided questions about his future

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Leonard has faced a series of questions about his future as a player. The answers were sometimes encouraging, confusing and philosophical. Whatever your interpretation, they were full of secular clichés.

"I want to play here," Leonard told reporters in Toronto. "As long as I wear a jersey, I want to play basketball. I came here with an open mind. I want to do great things, so I want to make sure that I put all my efforts on the court every night, and by winning matches, that's how high-caliber players want to come here to play .

"I want to play here," "I came here with an open mind" and "That's how you want star-sized players to come here and play," are all the things you want to hear from Leonard if you follow them. Raptors. Does he say that if the Raptors win, he will want to keep playing in Toronto? Does he encourage Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri to pursue other stars, such as Jimmy Butler? This part remained vague.

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