{
  "id": 16978565,
  "title": "Ja’Kobe Walter Takes Over Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors Starting Spot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/jakobe-walter-takes-over-kawhi-leonards-raptors-starting-spot",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-28T23:40:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ja-kobe-walter-takes-over-234007383.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter now occupies the starting spot that once belonged to Kawhi Leonard, who will be sidelined for at least a week due to swelling in his left knee. Leonard's absence comes after the team's opening statement victory over the Chicago Bulls, and it follows a taxing game in Washington where Leonard logged his heaviest workload since April. The team's statement does not label the swelling as an injury, but rather as \"wear and tear\" with no pain or structural damage on the MRI. Leonard's decision to sit was made during Sunday's pregame warm-up, roughly an hour before tip-off.\n\nWalter's initial start for the Raptors came on Sunday in Minnesota, where he delivered a strong performance with a team-high 22 points. He shot 7/12 from the field, including five of his eight three-pointers, and added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. This was a significant improvement from his first two games, where he averaged 8.5 points over 23.5 minutes. The shooting improvement was expected, as seen in the preseason blowout against the Knicks, where Walter scored 14 points off the bench with four threes. Despite the high shooting percentage, Toronto struggled to make threes as a team, managing only 10 of 38 attempts.\n\nHead coach Darko Rajakovic confirmed that Walter will receive more playing time with Leonard sidelined, but he did not promise a daily start. He praised Walter's three-point shooting and emphasized that he is not the sole candidate to fill the role. Other potential starters, such as rookie Allen Graves and veteran Kyle Anderson, have also been mentioned. The absence of Leonard impacts the team beyond scoring, as he contributed 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals over the first two games. The Raptors' starting lineup, which included Immanuel Quickley, Walter, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl, relied on spacing, with Walter helping to create it while Barnes struggled from the field. Rajakovic mentioned that the offense may need to rely on more players to contribute.",
  "summary": "Ja’Kobe Walter now owns the Toronto Raptors starting spot after the team announced Tuesday that Kawhi Leonard will be shut down for at least a week with swelling in his left knee. Leonard will undergo treatment and rehabilitation and be reevaluated in a week, and ESPN reports the absence could last a period of weeks. …",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}