Kawhi Leonard is first among the Toronto Raptors’ walking wounded.
The Raptors forward has played through knee soreness since mid-May in an effort to lead his team to an NBA championship, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Leonard hasn’t missed any action since the reported tendonitis flared during the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Milwaukee Bucks, and his playoff performances largely have been superb. Nevertheless, he’s hurting, and sources told Athletic’s Sam Amick Leonard and Vardon why that’s the case.
“… Leonard’s knee issue stems from overcompensating for his injured right quad suffered last season, that cost him all but nine games and basically paved the way for his exit out of San Antonio to the Raptors,” Vardon wrote. “His right quad, actually, is fine, and the left knee is the reason you’ve seen him laboring at times.”
Leonard is averaging 30.9 points ,9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals during the playoffs. Imagine what he might be able to accomplish if he was playing at peak fitness.
The NBA Finals series between the Raptors and Golden State Warriors is tied 1-1. Game 3 will be Wednesday night in Oakland, Calif., at Oracle Arena.
