Kawhi Leonard returned to the Toronto Raptors Thursday night, logging just 24 minutes on the court but still dropping 23 points in a dominant 135-92 season-opening win over the Chicago Bulls. And if you are wondering about when he is going to ramp up to full participation, forget about it. Leonard’s not worried, telling everyone, “You can’t rush greatness.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie… Or Do They?
Talk about making an impact in limited time. Scoring 23 points in just 24 minutes is a serious statement, especially after his reunion with Toronto was delayed for a month because of the finalized trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. But let’s be real, the shooting splits were a mixed bag. He went 5-for-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from deep, which isn’t exactly lights-out efficiency. However, the man was absolutely money from the charity stripe, hitting all 11 of his free throw attempts. That’s clutch. Beyond the scoring, he stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, two assists, four steals, and a block. That’s the Kawhi we remember from his title run in 2019, making plays all over the court. Raptors coach Darko Rajaković isn’t sweating the shooting, either, saying after the game, “I thought the shots that he was getting were really good shots. He’s still building his capacity to play… every minute that he spends on the court, that capacity is going to just go up.”
Reps Over Rest: What Kawhi Really Wants
Here is the kicker: Kawhi actually asked for more playing time in the fourth quarter, even though they were blowing out the Bulls! He is not just happy to be back, he is hungry for more reps. He explained his request, saying, “I haven’t gotten a chance to play a lot in training camp, so any minutes I can get, or continue to play, I know we was blowing them out, but the goal was to try to get 23, 24 minutes tonight, and I just need more reps to learn plays.” He continued, making it clear, “You get better on the floor, and trying things, and shooting the ball when you’re open. You can’t wait ’til practice and just shoot 100 shots. You need game reps.” The trade being stuck in a “holding pattern” meant he “wasn’t able to really do much” before the season. Rajaković mentioned last month the team is keeping his age and injury history in mind, but it sounds like Kawhi wants to push the limits himself.
Leonard will get his next chance to keep re-adjusting to the Raptors after seven years away when they hit the road Friday night to face Anthony Davis and the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are coming off a season-opening win over the Milwaukee Bucks, so it is going to be another test. Keep an eye on those minutes, because Kawhi is definitely trying to get as many as he can.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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