The term “load management” has been derided plenty by observers, but Kawhi Leonard thinks it’s the reason he’s playing right now.
The Toronto Raptors managed Leonard carefully during the regular season, holding him out of back-to-backs and limiting him to 60 regular season games. As Leonard told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, he believes that management ensured that he’d still be playing right now.
Kawh Leonard: I wouldn't be playing right now if it weren't for load management.
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/550h7zi53R pic.twitter.com/UcTqq5RUbS
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 7, 2019
“When it got bad, we ended up taking four or five games off,” Leonard said. “If we didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be here right now for sure. I’m already favoring. … I don’t think I’d be playing right now if I would’ve tried to go through the season.”
As he alluded to, Leonard is still dealing with some physical issues that are reportedly a result of his previous injury. One can only imagine how much worse it would be if Leonard hadn’t been carefully managed throughout the season.
