After the NBA investigation surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap circumvention delayed a trade that ultimately sent Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors, the 35-year-old Leonard was left with a limited runway to the regular season.
With reduced preseason work, the two-time NBA Finals MVP has found himself antsy for more game reps, so much so that he asked back into a season-opening blowout of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in Toronto.
That said, after scoring 23 points on just 5-of-17 shooting in the 135-92 victory, Leonard isn’t putting a date on when he’ll return to midseason form.
“You can't rush greatness,” Leonard said postgame, when a reporter inquired if the seven-time All-Star had a target for when he’d like to be at that level again.
“Whenever the medical [staff] thinks I could push forward and I'm feeling great, whatever numbers we're looking at or they're looking at, then that's when that time will come. So yeah, I'm just happy to be out there and try to do the best I can with my minutes.”
Leonard bargained for more Wednesday, finishing with 24. In the process, he also piled up 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 1 block.
“I really love the fact there that he asked to play more minutes in the fourth quarter just to get his legs under him,” head coach Darko Rajaković said.
Rajaković later added: “We had a plan for him, but he was like, 'Coach, I would like to play a little bit more there.' So, I mean, the game was kind of at that point a little bit out of the reach, but I wanted just to save him, and he was like, 'No, no, I want to go back.’ So I put him back.”
The Raptors also got 20-plus points from three other players: RJ Barrett had 20 on the dot, and both Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley clocked out with 23 points.
But the attention was on Leonard, who was playing in his first regular-season game for the Raptors since the 2018-19 campaign, which culminated in Toronto’s lone NBA championship.
On Tuesday, Leonard posted a video essay on social media ahead of that highly anticipated game.
In it, he said, “I’m not here to live in the past. I’m here for what’s next. Here in the North, we got a young team. Hungry and ready. And just like we had our moment, we trying to shock the world, again.”
As I Return. pic.twitter.com/yMv1iqMt30
— Kawhi Leonard (@Way2Whi) October 20, 2026
Leonard said after Wednesday’s game that the post was for the fans, to show them that he genuinely cares about the season and that he’s going to connect with them along the way.
“Just a fan interaction and just connection, really,” said a noticeably open Leonard. “You'll probably see a little bit more of me, what I'm doing in the community and just personality …”
Leonard’s personality has been veiled at times throughout his NBA career. Following the Raptors’ first regular-season outing, though, he was introspective and willing to share.
“Me being the oldest on the team, being 35, I have to give them that pedigree, that experience of the will to win,” Leonard said after being asked about how he sees himself in a mentor role.
“And even when we're down, just making sure that everybody's enjoying the moment and knowing that in hard times, that's what makes you better, especially on nights when the ball's not going in. I feel like those are the special nights because you have to dig deep and grind it out or just think forward, forward think. Everybody could come and play well when shots are falling. That's the easiest game. So it's always great to have a challenge.”
Wednesday was one of those challenges for Leonard. He overcame it with 11 free throws and a diverse defensive impact.
On a night that featured his “Klaw” on the fan giveaway T-shirts, his fingerprints were fittingly all over the game, regardless of his capped minutes and shooting struggles.