The Toronto Raptors are hard at work in Quebec City as training camp is underway for the NBA's lone Canadian franchise. With Kawhi Leonard now in the fold joining forces with Scottie Barnes and a strong Raptors squad, it's hard to put a ceiling on the team.

As camp gets underway this week, the Raptors have been limiting just how much work Kawhi Leonard is doing on the basketball court as they take a cautious approach with the star's workload.

“I want Kawhi to play 82 games and to play 48 minutes every night,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said during media day. “That's what I want. But the reality is with his age and his history with injuries, we have to be super smart. We're not going to take any short-term plan. We're going to have the big-picture at every point in mind. I think the character of our team is such that we're going to continue working hard and competing hard, doesn't matter who is on the floor. So if there is a night that Kawhi is not going to play for load management, I know that everybody else is going to step up and do everything to get. the win that night and to play to our strengths. We know what we're walking into. We know how professional Kawhi is. we believe in our medical staff and the work that they put in him, so we believe that this is going to be great for everybody.”

"I want Kawhi [Leonard] to play 82 games and to play 48 minutes every night… but reality is his age and his history with injuries. We gotta be super smart. We're not going to take any short-term plan. We're going to have the big picture in mind."

Darko Rajakovic at Raptors…

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 28, 2026

After the team's second training camp practice, Kawhi Leonard spoke with members of the media, where he confirmed that he's being ramped up slowly.

“I mean I'm there pretty much. We're just taking our time to ramp up. I wasn't able to really do much with the trade in a holding pattern. I've been going up and down today, yesterday, so it's just kind of like a minute restriction in a sense. But coming soon, I'll be able to be fully active.”

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It is a bit strange to hear the two-time NBA Finals MVP blame the NBA's investigation and subsequent delay in finalization of the trade as a reason for Leonard not being able to ramp up. Kawhi Leonard is well-known for not playing five-on-five basketball in the offseason, even when he is healthy, and has always taken a few weeks to ramp up to game shape during training camp.

Given that Rajakovic said the Raptors will be extremely cautious with Kawhi Leonard's ramp-up and Leonard mentioning that he'll need a bit of time to increase his workload — not to mention Leonard's refusal to answer questions about the NBA's investigation into himself and the LA Clippers for salary cap circumvention on media day — it is fair to wonder whether Kawhi Leonard even plays in his return game against the LA Clippers on November 2nd.

That game is scheduled to be the first back-to-back set of the season for Toronto, who is taking on Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night before facing the Clippers the following evening.

Kawhi Leonard played 65 games last season, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. He's been an All-NBA players in two of the last three seasons and by all accounts, is entering this season healthy.

With Scottie Barnes in the fold leading the way, this Raptors team has a chance to be a top team in the East and make some real noise in the postseason, health permitting.