Key #3 – Contain the Klaw
As Kawhi Leonard continues to establish himself on his new Toronto Raptors team as well as to round himself back into superstar form, you can expect that he’ll only get more and more dangerous with each passing game. He looked just so-so in his Raptors debut, posting 12 points on forgettable shooting splits of 3-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from deep.
I’m certain he’ll get much better than that as the year goes on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s aiming to bounce back in a big way and prove himself in preseason game number two. If such is the case, then the Jazz better be ready for an angry Kawhi who could be primed and ready to take things out on the Jazz.
Joe Ingles didn’t play in Utah’s first preseason game as he sat out as a precaution due to leg soreness. All indications are that he will be playing in this contest against the Raptors, and seeing how he can match up defensively against Kawhi will be exhilarating.
Slo-mo Joe has built a reputation as a solid defender, who bolstered that rep by shutting down Paul George in last year’s playoffs. A healthy Kawhi is simply a different beast, though, and Joe as well as the rest of the Jazz squad will have to be at the top of their game to slow him down.
I expect Kawhi will make it a point to have a better game on Tuesday than he did in his Raptors debut. Whether he’s able to or not will directly correlate with Utah’s defensive effort on him, and may very well ultimately decide the outcome of the game.