NBA 2018-19: Why Kawhi Leonard should not play in the 2019 NBA All-Star game

#2 To prove his respect and commitment to the Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors v Boston Celtics

If Kawhi Leonard cannot play for the Raptors, in games that matter, to playoff and lottery pick ranking or games he is actually contractually paid to play, the All-Star Game should be a spectator event for him.

An example of this is Jimmy Butler. At last year’s All-Star Game, he did not play. Butler was returning to the Timberwolves line- up, in January, after nagging injuries and felt he needed the All-Star break to rest and heal his body. He attended the event but did not play. Jimmy Butler is viewed as a somewhat selfish personality, who thinks of himself first and he realized he needed the rest.

The optics of not playing for the franchise that pays you and then performing in a spectacle, for the fans, like the All-Star game are bad. Leonard’s situation is perhaps more high profile than Jimmy Butler. While Butler was an important performer for Minnesota last year, the Toronto Raptors hopes, of a deep playoff run, lie at the feet of Kawhi Leonard.

While the All-Star Game is a way to honor the fans for putting their faith in certain players, its not how players how or when the players earn their contracts. In Leonard’s situation, if he is still missing games in January or early February, of 2019, for health maintenance, he should not play in the 2019 All-Star game to demonstrate his commitment and respect for the Raptors organization.