Kawhi Leonard was on the receiving end of some very harsh criticism last season when he requested a trade from the San Antonio Spurs after the way they handled his quad injury. Many believed that his injury at the time was pretty tame and that he would be able to play. Leonard was adamant that there was a deeper issue at play and ended up using doctors outside of the team. Once the season came to an end, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors and hasn't looked back since.
Considering his history with injuries, it's no surprise that he would be sympathetic to Kevin Durant who just received surgery on a ruptured Achilles. Durant will have a long road to recovery that could end up lasting 12 months depending on the severity of the rupture. During interviews with the media today, Kawhi was asked about Durant's injury and that's when he offered some interesting advice to the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
“Make sure that you come back when you feel healthy...when you feel confident enough to get back on the floor,” Leonard explained.
Leonard sat out close to 25 percent of the games for the Raptors this season in order to keep him healthy for the postseason and so far, the move has paid dividends for the Raptors.
Kawhi will look to give his team their first ever championship on Thursday in Game 6 which goes down in Oakland.
