When certain players who have faced major injuries are recovering, the last thing that could derail the process is added pressure. This concept refers to superstars, as the top teams need them to win, and during recovery, some can feel rushed to hush the voices in the crowd.
Fortunately, Kawhi Leonard did not experience anything as such in the 45 games he missed last season. This was because he was teammates with an All-NBA, All-Defensive pairing in James Harden and Ivica Zubac, who deserve a gift from Leonard for stepping up when the two-time champion was going through the finishing touches of approval from the training staff.