Raptors face packed schedule with Kawhi Leonard still out
The Toronto Raptors’ fresh start with Kawhi Leonard hit an early pause, forcing the team to navigate the heart of November without their best scorer and defender. With Kawhi still in street clothes on the sidelines for at least another week, it remains up to the rest of the roster to keep Toronto above .500 and stay in the playoff picture until he gets back.
Leonard played only twice before swelling in his left knee shut him down, and while the Raptors have adapted well in the weeks since, the biggest tests of the month still lie ahead, and beyond that, they will be forced to adapt again when Kawhi returns.
How the Raptors have adapted without Kawhi
The loss of Kawhi was brutal to this roster, if also a little predictable. Kawhi’s strength is his ability as a 2-way player: he’s the best offensive engine on the team, and arguably the best defender too, so losing him is painful on both ends of the court.
The team’s initial update was cautious, saying imaging showed swelling in his knee but no acute injury and Leonard would be re-evaluated after a week, but the timeline has stretched out and he will need at least another week before returning to action.
The Raptors have adjusted fairly well in his absence over the past couple of weeks: they hammered Orlando 129-99 on October 28, dropped the rematch 121-114 two nights later despite 41 points from Scottie Barnes, and continued to compete through a tough early-November stretch against Denver, Milwaukee, Memphis, and Boston.
Without Kawhi, Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley have steadily shouldered the scoring load, and Ja’Kobe Walter has settled into the starting five. That group has found a rhythm and stayed competitive, but the toughest stretch of November is just arriving.
Keeping up in the Eastern Conference is crucial for the Raptors’ postseason dreams. There’s also big games in the East this November, which will draw a lot of attention from fans and bettors alike. Fans can visit Yahoo to check out the Ontario sports betting sites that specialise in NBA and Raptors coverage and betting, before you bet on the Raptors big games this November.
November’s fixtures, game by game
Having already navigated early-month matchups against Denver, Milwaukee, Memphis, and last night’s opener of a back-to-back against Boston, Toronto visits Philadelphia on November 12, where LeBron James now plays for the 76ers. Meeting one of the league’s biggest names on tired legs makes tonight the most awkward spot on the calendar for a team missing its best player.
The heaviest week arrives next. The champion Knicks visit on November 15 and 17, and Washington comes in on the 18th, so Toronto plays three games in four days. Taking a series from New York without Leonard would turn plenty of heads around the East.
November then closes with Detroit away on the 20th, the Bucks on the 23rd, Brooklyn on the 27th and Denver on the 29th. Two of those are Cup games, so the standings pressure builds even before December.
Every game Leonard misses eats into the 65 he needs to qualify for end-of-season awards, which leaves a cushion of 17 absences over 82 games. He has already burned through roughly half of that allowance. If the knee settles in time for him to return next week against Detroit or Milwaukee, the closing stretch of this month looks very different.
This article is for informational purposes only and discusses the Toronto Raptors’ demanding schedule, team performance, and Kawhi Leonard’s continued absence. It does not provide guaranteed predictions or professional sports advice.