SAN FRANCISCO—It’s been hard to get to the essence of Kawhi Leonard since he arrived in our midst because he is a private man not given to comfortable interaction or idle conversations with those that he does not spend time with, and that’s fine.
It is the way Leonard is. It became apparent from the first introduction, and all he owes anyone is to play his hardest for the Toronto Raptors and conduct himself as a professional, and he has more than done that since his September arrival.
But in the last 48 hours, punctuated by the gruesome injury suffered by Golden State’s Kevin Durant in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Leonard has shown more of himself than at any time over the last nine months, opening up some deeply held feelings.