That didn’t take long. Hopefully it won’t last. 

There was never a moment that trading for Kawhi Leonard didn’t come packed with risk with regard to his ability to provide value for the $165 million the Toronto Raptors will be paying him the next three seasons now that he's 35 years old and in his 15th season.

The concern wasn’t what he would do when he played: he’s just six months removed from putting the finishing touches on what was arguably the best season in NBA history for a player aged 34 or older. 

But how often can he play? Can he get through three regular seasons without missing significant swaths of them? If he does manage the regular season, will he have enough gas in the tank to get through multiple playoff rounds, something he struggled to do with the Los Angeles Clippers? 

Those concerns were going to surface at some point. Injuries and the need to manage them are a fact of Leonard’s career. So maybe it’s best that it’s out here now, less than a week into the regular season.

After a slow buildup through training camp, just 39 minutes of game action in pre-season and limited minutes and fairly uninspiring performances in two regular-season games — he averaged 19.5 points per game on 32.5 per cent shooting — Leonard was ruled out just an hour before Sunday night’s game with the Minnesota Timberwolves due to swelling in his left knee. 

How serious is it? It’s hard to know, but you would have to be encouraged that he practised on Saturday in Washington after playing 28 minutes in the Raptors' win over the Wizards on Friday. He also went through his normal pre-game shooting routine on Sunday with everyone expecting him to play. 

Still, given his history with the Raptors medical staff — the same group that helped Leonard to a stellar 60-game regular season and 24-game run through the playoffs in 2018-19 after injuries limited him to nine games the previous season in San Antonio — you have to hope that sitting Leonard out was done preventatively rather than due to a more acute problem.  

Optimistically, while Leonard has had myriad issues with his right knee since he left the Raptors after........

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