Nick Nurse Gets Honest About Kawhi Leonard

Former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse won a championship LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard

When Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors, the team took a very cautious approach to his health. This didn't always go over well with Raptors fans, but it all worked out in the end. Recently joining Patrick Beverley on The Pat Bev Pod, former Raptors coach and current Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse got honest about that season with Leonard.

"I don't think anybody knew how it was gonna work," Nurse said. "I think he hadn't played in like 12 or 14 months. So I don't think anybody knew health-wise where he was going to be. We kinda went into it with a slow build. We were not gonna play him in back-to-backs and things like that. He was pretty healthy, but the team was playing so well we were able to kinda continue to get him rest throughout the season. I think we played 22 games without him, so he played 60 that year... When he wasn't playing early on, people were like, 'What's going on?' But the team started playing so well that we just kinda played."

While it wasn't always easy dealing with Leonard being in and out of the lineup, he was able to stay mostly healthy, and his teammates picked him up whenever he sat out. Leonard of course joined the LA Clippers after one season in Toronto, but it was a season they'll never forget. 

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