Kawhi Leonard's Bold Message Should Ease Raptors Concerns

Kawhi Leonard's return to Scotiabank Arena as a member of the Toronto Raptors for the first time since 2019 was a strong re-introduction for the two-time champion.

Although he played just 24 minutes in the team's 135-92 victory over the Chicago Bulls, Leonard finished with 23 points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block, offering a reminder of his two-way impact as he works toward full speed.

“I don’t have targets (for when he will be up to full speed),” Leonard told reporters after the win. “You can’t rush greatness. Whenever medical things I can push forward and I’m feeling great, whatever numbers they’re looking at, that’s when the time will come. But I’m just happy to be out there and do the best I can with the minutes I have.”

Leonard struggled with his shooting, making just just five of his 17 shot attempts. However he did get to the free throw line at will, going a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity strike. In a game that was never really close, Leonard also showed that he's only scratching the surface on what he can bring to this iteration of the Raptors.

Leonard's Momentum Will Fuel the Raptors

Leonard showed he was eager to build momentum, even with the outcome against Chicago already decided. Toronto entered the fourth quarter with a commanding lead, but the veteran asked to return to the floor to get additional repetitions and become more comfortable with the offense.

“I haven’t gotten a chance to play a lot,” Leonard said, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. “I know we were blowing them out, but the goal was to get 23, 24 minutes tonight, and I just needed more reps to learn plays.”

Head coach Darko Rajakovic welcomed the initiative, explaining that Leonard requested additional playing time after the coaching staff initially planned to rest him.

“I really love the fact there that he asked to play more minutes in the fourth quarter just to get his legs under him,” Rajakovic said.

"We had a plan for him, but he was like, 'Coach, I would like to play a little bit more there,' Rajakovic added 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."

That willingness to seek out game action is encouraging for a Toronto team counting on Leonard to establish chemistry with Scottie Barnes and the rest of the roster. Although he has always been labeled as more of a "16-game player" rather than an "82-game player," it's been proven in the past on Leonard-led teams that a lack of cohesion can hurt an organization way before playoff time.

A Healthy Kawhi Leonard Is the End Goal

Leonard appeared in 65 games with the Los Angeles Clippers last season while dealing with knee and ankle issues. He also has only played 65 games or more in a season five times. Toronto has reason to take a measured approach as its newest star works toward his previous level of play.

Thankfully for the Raptors, the group he is joining is pretty much the same one that won 46 games last season and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. All of that to say that it may be a while before Leonard hits full stride, but Toronto has the talent and the depth to withstand a few games without the All-Star forward.

Leonard's debut wasn't a return to peak form, but it showed why the Raptors have reason to be optimistic about their title hopes. With his individual scoring ability and defensive production, Toronto has another dimension they didn't have last season. If they can get the Leonard that had his best statistical output last year, this Raptors team may become manys favorite to come out of the East.

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