Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors ‘thinking about the long road’

PHOENIX — As the Toronto Raptors continue their hot start to the 2018-19 NBA season, they are playing it safe with star forward Kawhi Leonard.

After Leonard sat out one game of each of the first two back-to-back sets the Raptors have played this season, head coach Nick Nurse said after Toronto’s 107-98 victory over Phoenix on Friday night that pattern would continue indefinitely, including in the upcoming back-to-back Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers, and Monday in Utah against the Jazz.

“The plan is for a little while here to not let him play [both halves of] the back-to-backs,” Nurse said. “I don’t think we’ve decided how long that’s gonna be yet. We’re going game by game.”

Nurse said Leonard isn’t dealing with any lingering issues from tendinopathy in his right quadriceps, which caused him to miss all but nine games for the San Antonio Spurs last season and helped precipitate his trade to the Toronto during the summer.

But with Toronto currently sporting the Eastern Conference’s best record and having designs on a deep postseason run, the plan is to be as cautious as possible in easing Leonard back into regular action.

And, for his part, Leonard said he’s on board with how the Raptors are handling him.

“I just wanted to get healthy,” said Leonard, who scored 19 points to go with 6 rebounds and 5 assists Friday night to help improve Toronto’s record to 8-1 this season. “I feel healthy now, and they just don’t want to rush into things. I don’t either. It’s a long season, so we’re thinking about the long road.”

Nurse said he wasn’t sure which of end of the back-to-back Leonard would sit out, particularly after Leonard missed the final 2 minutes, 42 seconds of Friday’s win after jamming his left foot.

Nurse and Leonard, however, downplayed the severity of the injury.

“He jammed his foot,” Nurse said. “It didn’t seem to be too bad. They are still evaluating it. But we figured, end of the game, leave him out and let them evaluate it. But it’s not an ankle, or anything. It’s a jammed foot.”

Said Leonard: “I just pushed off on it. Kind of rolled it, just pushing off. Just wanted to take a good look at it.”

So far, the plan to work Leonard back into the mix after his time away has gone as well as possible for both him personally, and the Raptors as a whole. Leonard has looked like every bit of the two-way superstar he was before his injury issues last season, averaging 26.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 50.4 percent overall and 44.8 percent from 3-point range. The Raptors, meanwhile, have the best record in the Eastern Conference, and have gone a perfect 7-0 in games Leonard has suited up this season. Toronto’s lone loss came Monday, when both Leonard and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out of a 124-109 Bucks victory.

Given Leonard’s impending free agency, and the obvious interest the Lakers have in pairing him with LeBron James next summer, Leonard was always going to be given plenty of attention whether he played Sunday night or not.

But Leonard said there would be a discussion Saturday in Los Angeles, where the Raptors will practice, to determine which of the two games he sits out.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Leonard said. “We’ll talk [Saturday] and try to figure it out.”