F Meyers Leonard, who sprained his ankle and missed the second half of Tuesday's game at Utah, was cleared for duty Wednesday night.

PF Meyers Leonard left the game in the first half due to an ankle sprain and didn't return.

Leonard recorded 19 points (5-10 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal over 31 minutes in Monday's win over the Jazz.

On a night in which the Trail Blazers shot just 39 percent from the field, Leonard was one of the few efficient players to take the court, knocking down exactly half his shot attempts for the third consecutive preseason game. Leonard's strong performance from the field -- and particularly from the three-point line, where he's gone 9-of-19 (47.3%) during the preseason -- along with his solid work on the glass have him poised to open the season as the Blazers' starting power forward.

Leonard received the start at center in Monday's preseason-opening loss to the Kings. He finished with 14 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds, and a blocked shot in 24 minutes.

As expected, the Trail Blazers rolled out a starting frontcourt of Leonard and Miles Plumlee, with Noah Vonleh and Ed Davis serving as the top two bigs off the bench. All four players are likely to average double-digit minutes to begin the season, but Leonard's versatile skill should allow him to hold down a starting job and make him a viable draft target for fantasy players. Particularly in leagues that weigh field-goal, free-throw, and three-point percentages, Leonard will be particularly valuable, as he's boasted above-average marks in each category throughout his career. With the promise of more minutes, Leonard now figures to challenge for double-doubles most nights in addition to providing the strong percentages.

Leonard appears in line to start at power forward for the Blazers this season after general manager Neil Olshey listed Leonard amongst Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Mason Plumlee on the Lowe Post podcast. "We believe that Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, and Mason Plumlee ... can do what [our young core did when I was with the Clippers]," Olshey said.

Olshey used to be the general manager of the Clippers when they had Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, Aminu, and Blake Griffin all playing together, and Olshey was trying to make the point that this new young Blazers roster is built to grow on Lillard's career trajectory, similar to how the Clippers were built to grow around Griffin. It's good to hear what the team's plan is, because it gives us a better understanding of how the rotations might fall, which helps project fantasy value. Though Ed Davis and Noah Vonleh's place on the roster makes Leonard's value still somewhat suspect, there are plenty of reasons to think Leonard is in position to have a career season and possibly a good enough one to make him worth drafting in the later rounds of standard leagues right now. Through six starts at power forward last season, Leonard played 29 minutes per game, averaging 14.0 points, 2.2 three-pointers, 6.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Those numbers would be worth owning in most leagues, and if Leonard is indeed the starter, he could easily eclipse that production with more minutes.

Leonard is aiming to start for the Blazers in 2015-16, the Blazers' official site reports. Speaking of his upcoming role, he replied, "That's my goal and I'm certainly going to work my tail off to try and do so."

The departure of power forward LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency has opened up a gaping hole in the Blazers' frontcourt, and Leonard is poised to step into the role due to his three years under coach Terry Stotts. Leonard's per-36 minutes numbers last season are eye-opening, as he averaged 13.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.0 three-pointers, and 1.4 assists. Even more impressive was a true shooting percentage of 63, which was supported by 51 percent from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc, and 94 percent from the foul line. The offseason addition of Ed Davis perhaps put a wrench in Leonard's eventual workload, but the aforementioned experience gives Leonard a leg up in the competition.

Leonard will not play for the Blazers' Las Vegas Summer League team, Erik Gundersen of The Columbian reports.

Leonard was initially listed on the team's official roster, but it now appears he will not participate. He'll likely join the team in Vegas but will be relegated to working out with the rest of the roster.

Leonard is a part of the Blazers' summer league squad, the team's official site reports.

Leonard's presence on the roster is a surprise considering his proclamation that he wouldn't take part in his fourth summer league in a row. He may merely participate in practice, while sitting out games, but clarification, one way or another, will likely come down from the Blazers' brass before tip off Saturday against the Celtics in Las Vegas.

Leonard believes that he'll be a part of the Blazers' frontcourt rotation next season, The Oregonian reports. "I sure hope so," he said in Thursday's exit interview. "Obviously, this offseason is huge for me."

Leonard was effective in Games 1 and 2 of Portland's first-round series against the Grizzlies, approaching double-doubles on both occasions en route to 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per outing. After coach Terry Stotts all but ditched Leonard in favor of veteran Chris Kaman in Game 3, everything aligned in the final two contests of the series. Utilizing a front line of Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge for vast stretches, the third-year big man continued his barrage from the outside, hitting a combined 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. For the series, he averaged 7.8 points (on 67 percent shooting), 6.6 rebounds, two three-pointers, and one assist in 21 minutes, which equates to the highest PER, 19.8, for any Blazer in the playoffs. Depending on how general manager Neil Olshey constructs a frontcourt with numerous question marks this offseason -- LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez are unrestricted free agents, while Portland holds a team option on Chris Kaman -- Leonard may be due for a massive uptick in relevance in 2015-16.

Leonard notched 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt) and seven rebounds in 18 minutes during Wednesday's loss in Memphis.

Following the news that Chris Kaman (ankle) had been ruled out, Leonard was expected to help fill the void in the frontcourt, a role that he's performed admirably as the season progressed. However, Leonard only earned two more minutes than Game 1, as coach Terry Stotts leaned heavily on LaMarcus Aldridge to the tune of 42 minutes. Leonard's workload has ranged from eight to 37 minutes over the past 10 games, but his output during that stretch is indicative of what to expect as the playoffs proceed: 9.2 points (on 54 percent shooting), 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 three-pointers in 21 minutes per outing.

Leonard moved into the starting lineup for LaMarcus Aldridge (foot) on Saturday against the Jazz. He finished with 12 points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block in 25 minutes of action.

Normal starter Aldridge is dealing with a foot sprain so Leonard may benefit from added playing time over the final two regular season games. That said, Leonard is still somewhat limited on the court and may not actually fulfill the typical workload of a starter.

Leonard posted four points, six rebounds, and one assist during his eight minutes off the bench against the Warriors on Thursday.

Leonard enjoyed a brief stint in the starting lineup while the Blazers rested some of their other frontcourt players but he's since returned to his normal role off the bench. As exemplified by Thursday's eight-minute outing, Leonard's current role off the bench is hardly substantial enough to justify ownership in standard leagues over the final stretch of the regular season.

Leonard posted a double-double in 37 minutes Monday against the Nets as he scored 17 points (8-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt) to go along with 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Leonard played extended minutes with both LaMarcus Aldridge (rest) and Chris Kaman (rest) out Monday and he cashed in with a big performance. Should Portland rest Aldridge and/or Kaman again down the stretch, Leonard could be a nice daily play.

Leonard is starting Monday's contest at Brooklyn, The Oregonian reports.

Leonard is getting the nod at power forward in this makeup game, as the Blazers are without LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Kaman for rest purposes. In four starts this season, Leonard is averaging 8.8 points (on 48 percent shooting), 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 treys in 22 minutes.

Leonard grabbed 11 boards in 19 minutes of action Friday against the Lakers.

Leonard's performance was an anomaly, being the result of a blowout game against the Lakers. The fact that he didn't contribute a single point to Friday's win shows that Leonard is a work-in-progress and should be vastly ignored in fantasy.

Leonard scored a season-high 15 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT) Friday in 20 minutes. He finished the game with seven rebounds as well.

This was the most playing time Leonard saw in a game since Feb. 11. His previous high this season was just 12 points, a mark that he hit twice. Still, Leonard is averaging just 14.3 minutes per game this season and shouldn't be owned in almost any league.

Leonard chipped in eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt) and three rebounds during Wednesday's victory versus the Rockets.

After LaMarcus Aldridge picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, Leonard proceeded to earn his most run in six games, or a span in which he logged 18 total minutes. During his time on the court, he cobbled together all of his scoring in a three-minute stretch, before yielding his spot to Aldridge. Although the outburst was welcome, Leonard can't be relied upon on a nightly basis, as Chris Kaman is the Blazers' primary frontcourt presence off the bench.

Leonard played 23 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's win over the Lakers, finishing with 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-5 3Pt) and seven rebounds.

Leonard has now reached double figures in points for the second straight game, after failing to do so for the 11 previous outings. Over that two-game stretch, he's shot the ball well, combining to go 9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-9 from the three-point line. He had only recorded 20 or more minutes in one of his last six games prior to Wednesday, so his fantasy value will be limited until he can get a larger role in the offense.

Leonard started Saturday's eventual defeat at Milwaukee but took the court for just eight minutes.

Leonard was removed after the first seven minutes of the contest and only returned for one more as the clock wound down on the Blazers' third loss in a row. His line was modest -- four points, two rebounds, and one assist -- but Thomas Robinson would up garnering 24 minutes, while typical starting center Chris Kaman was held to 10 minutes. Because Leonard's workload was his least since the calendar flipped to January, he should revert to the 21 minutes per game that he logged in 2015 prior to Saturday's contest.

Leonard came off the bench to start the third quarter, after earning his third start of the season Saturday in Milwaukee, The Oregonian reports.

The Blazers entered the contest with Chris Kaman penciled in as the starting center, but Leonard in fact got the nod. After halftime, coach Terry Stotts opted to roll with Thomas Robinson instead of Leonard. Considering Leonard played only the first 7:06 of the game, after which the Blazers trailed 16-10, he may not make another appearance, despite committing no fouls during his time on the court.