Kawhi Leonard only played nine games last season due to a quadriceps injury, but the new star for the Toronto Raptors is back to his old self, according to Raptors assistant Phil Handy.
“He’s doing great,” Handy said of Leonard on Toronto Talk Sports (h/t Ashish Mathur of Amico Hoops). “He’s in great shape. His body looks good. He’s feeling good. He’s moving well, so I don’t anticipate any issues or problems.”
After a lost 2017-18 season, Leonard was traded to Toronto in a July deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.
While there was obvious concern about the player’s health, he passed his physical to make the trade official.
The two-time All-Star also recently worked out at UCLA with LeBron James, Kevin Durant and others, via RealGM:
“The level they worked at was at an all-time high,” Handy said of the Aug. 21 workout. “They just really competed. They pushed each other. They encouraged each other.”
Mathur also reported that the forward has looked “remarkable” in offseason workouts.
When healthy, Leonard has shown he can be an elite player on both ends of the court. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and has twice finished in the top three of MVP voting.
If he is looking as good as observers have indicated, the Raptors have added a legitimate star that could lead them to the NBA Finals.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
