Star forward Kawhi Leonard will be available for Tuesday’s game, according to the head coach Darko Rayakovichand suitable for Predators for the first time since he helped secure the team’s first championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
“Yes, he had practice today” Rajakovic said on Monday (Link to Twitter via Zulfi Sheikh of Sportsnet.ca). “He feels great. So yes, he will be available to play tomorrow.”
The Raptors slowly built Leonard up during training camp and the preseason, so he sat out each of the team’s first two preseason games, including Saturday’s win over his former team. Clippers. So far neither Leonard nor Brandon Ingram (Achilles) participated in this contest, a former lottery pick Grady Dick – the third player involved in that epic offseason trade between Los Angeles and Toronto – logged 13 minutes against his old club.
How Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, Dick described it as “bittersweet” to see his former teammates and coaches after spending the first three years of his NBA career with the Raptors. The fourth-year guard, who will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie-scale extension before next Monday, is looking to prove he deserves a spot in Tyrone Luerotation as he enters a contract year.
“He’s very athletic, very good cutter, very good in transition,” Lue said of Dick. “(But) then he just has to be confident every night in his 3-point shooting to have a 38-39 percent three-point range. He’s a good player, a good talent. … I talked to him this summer about getting to 38 or 40 percent. … I think he can do that.”
We have more from the East:
- Former fifth overall pick Mario Hezonha still adjusting to the length and athleticism of the NBA after spending the last six seasons in Europe, but Cavaliers forward, moving in the right direction, using the advantages of his physicality, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). In Sunday’s preseason win over Orlando, Jezoña had 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 17 minutes. “It’s an adjustment. We have to be compassionate about it. It’s not going to happen overnight.” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think he’s just a good basketball player, so I think it’s just defining, ‘This is how you’re going to fit on this team.’ This is still an observation. We’ve seen a lot of great things in transition, he’s coming out on the break because he’s like a diesel train going downhill.”
- Peyton Watson wasn’t known as an elite quarterback during his time in Denver, but Cavaliers The wing has been tasked by his new team with handling the opponent’s biggest threat on the perimeter, and he’s accepting that task so far this preseason, Fedor writes in another story for Cleveland.com subscribers only. After speaking against Paolo Bunchera and Franz Wagner On Sunday, Watson said he believed he could be “super-elite” defensively, adding, “You’ve found the right man for the job.”
- After straightening his right ankle in his preseason debut last Wednesday, Pacers playing Tyrese Halliburton He missed Saturday’s game, but was a full participant in Monday’s training session, he writes Tony East of Circle City Spin. While it is unclear whether Halliburton will play Tuesday in Oklahoma City, it does not appear that his availability for the start of the regular season is in jeopardy.
- In interesting feature for Sports Business JournalTom Friend looks on Hornets co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin have operated the franchise since purchasing majority control in the Michael Jordan in 2023.