Toronto's upgrade on Kawhi Leonard lasted a single day: on October 27 he went back to out with a left knee problem. The team now lists November 23 as his return date, so the rotation built for his absences starts tonight.
One Good Day, Then Out
ESPN, citing sources, said the knee will cost Leonard weeks. Josh Lewenberg of TSN wrote that he sits at least the next four games. He gave Toronto 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his two appearances. Nate Bittle is also out with his right foot, listed to return November 2. That leaves Scottie Barnes, Barrett and Immanuel Quickley carrying the scoring, and the Minnesota game showed how thin that gets: a 117-94 loss in which Barrett had 11.
Orlando Shows Up Shorthanded
The Magic come to Scotiabank Arena tonight at 1-2, and they come back on October 30. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson are all listed out. Franz Wagner, at 21.0 points and 8.3 rebounds, is the matchup that matters, and Barnes is the natural answer. Both teams have had two days off. After the second Orlando game, Toronto flies west to face the Lakers on November 1 and the Clippers the next night.
Can the Defense Hold?
One figure matters most: a 97.8 defensive rating, the anchor of a 10.5 net rating. Leonard's absence puts more load on the guards. Ja'Kobe Walter's workload has jumped from 21.5 to 33.7 minutes over his last five games, and Jamal Shead and Barrett are each up about ten minutes. Jakob Poeltl is scoring 3.0 points, and Raptors Rapture's Elaine Blum wrote that the start has not eased doubts about him. The open question for the next three weeks is whether that defense survives with younger legs doing the work.
When will Kawhi Leonard return for the Raptors?
The Raptors list November 23 as his return date for the left knee problem. ESPN, citing sources, said the absence would last weeks.
Who is playing more for Toronto with Leonard out?
Ja'Kobe Walter's minutes have risen from 21.5 to 33.7 over his last five games. Jamal Shead and RJ Barrett are each playing about ten more minutes.
