‘You cannot rush greatness’: Leonard deliberate in Raptors’ dominant opening win

TORONTO — In the NBA, particular person warm-up slots are usually decided by seniority. In basic, it’s the youthful gamers first. As the rating veteran on the Toronto Raptors, 15-year man Kawhi Leonard might take the ground for his pre-game capturing routine proper as much as about 45 minutes earlier than tip. 

But Leonard likes to get his work in early, so there he was greater than two hours earlier than the ball went up on the Raptors’ season opener and the primary recreation in his second tour with Toronto that everybody hopes can be an inexpensive facsimile of his first, when he led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship.

And whereas some gamers use the warm-up to get all the best way as much as recreation velocity, even in search of onerous contact from the participant improvement coaches working them out, Leonard’s warm-up may be very a lot not that. 

It’s sluggish, deliberate and calculated. It’s a prelude to the actual factor, not a substitute. 

To prolong the analogy, Leonard’s very a lot anticipated return to Scotiabank Arena in his acquainted No. 2 for the primary time since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals hit all the proper notes, the right feels, and presumably will serve him properly when the competitors begins for actual. 

Because Game 1 of the 2026-27 season was positively not that, although nobody is quibbling with the method or the consequence: a 135-92 win that was by no means doubtful and set a document for the biggest successful margin in a season opener (+43 factors) in franchise historical past. 

The Raptors jumped out to a 10-point lead halfway via the primary quarter, led by 29 early within the second quarter and by 39 when Ja’Kobe Walter stripped the ball from Bulls guard Josh Giddey earlier than flipping it to Scottie Barnes for an emphatic and symbolic dunk late within the third quarter. 

But the star of the present, the one who received the large roar when he was launched and raised his large proper hand above his head, grabbing his wrist along with his left in his personal ‘Claw’ trademark? The one whose hand was superimposed on the white commemorative T-shirts laid out so neatly on all 19,800 seats? 

On an October Wednesday in 2026, Leonard was not the identical participant who scored 24 factors and grabbed 12 rebounds in 37 minutes in his Raptors debut in 2018, or who averaged a career-high 29.1 factors a recreation final 12 months on his technique to incomes all-NBA honours. 

The present model of Leonard is — by his personal admission — simply getting warmed up, and it confirmed. 

At 35 years previous and coming off an low season the place his basketball exercise was restricted because of the uncertainty surrounding his commerce from the Clippers, Leonard didn’t scrimmage for the primary week of coaching camp and performed simply 39 minutes over two pre-season video games. 

He nonetheless provided his share of highlights — bringing the Scotiabank Arena crowd to their toes with an early pull-up triple and following that up by stripping Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson and threading the needle to a streaking RJ Barrett have been two of them — however by his requirements, Leonard was principally unusual, and perhaps not even that. 

Yes, he was considered one of three Raptors to complete with 23 factors (Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have been the others, whereas RJ Barrett had 20), however it took Leonard eight extra tries to get his second bucket of the night time as he completed 5-of-17 from the ground and 2-of-6 from three. More tellingly, he appeared to wrestle to get separation from his defender or carry on his jumper. This in opposition to a Bulls group, to whom defence can be just about a hearsay all season. 

Leonard compensated with an ideal 11-of-11 night time from the free-throw line and made 4 steals, however this wasn’t the classic model of No. 2 Raptors followers have time-stamped of their mind from almost a decade in the past. 

The most telling second of Leonard’s night time got here early within the fourth quarter when head coach Darko Rajakovic subbed Leonard out with the Raptors main by 41. 

Leonard spoke to him on the sideline, and 35 seconds later Leonard was again within the recreation for slightly below two extra minutes of labor, bringing his whole as much as 24. 

He hit one other three, rising the Raptors’ result in 46, after which sat down for good.

So why 24 minutes as a substitute of twenty-two?

“I haven’t got a chance to play a lot in training camp, so any minutes I could get or continue to play (I wanted to play) … the goal was to try to get 23 or 24 minutes tonight,” stated Leonard. “I just need more reps to learn plays … you get better on the floor and trying things. You can’t wait ‘till practice and shoot 100 shots. You need game reps, and that’s what I was looking for.”

There have been loads of hints as to what could possibly be coming when he reaches full capability. 

Defensively, the Raptors have been dominant — which explains the way you win a recreation by 43 factors whereas capturing simply 45 per cent from the ground and making solely 10 threes. 

The Bulls are studying on the job, and clearly they’ve lots to be taught after the Raptors held them to 31.1 per cent capturing and 4-of-36 from three. But the Raptors had lots to do with that, and the presence of Barnes and even a three-quarters-speed Leonard (to not point out second-year ahead Collin Murray-Boyles, who was a chaos agent all night time) guarantees to be an issue. 

“It’s crazy,” stated Quickley.  “I don’t even know how to describe it defensively. Especially if they’re switching? It’s like you get down going against Scottie and you got to go against Kawhi, so like, bro, you just gotta pass it.”

But the perfect is but to come back. With his 15 years of expertise and having returned from all method of harm layoffs in his profession, Leonard is aware of that endurance is as a lot a part of his arsenal as his skill to hit threes from deep or bully his means into the paint. 

“I don’t have targets (for when he will be up to full speed),” stated Leonard. “You can’t rush greatness. Whenever medical issues I can push ahead and I’m feeling nice, no matter numbers they’re , 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.”

It was greater than sufficient for the Raptors to overwhelm the Bulls on Wednesday, and so for Leonard, the sluggish, regular warm-up continues. 

Hey Norm: The different Southern California native who received an enormous ovation Wednesday was Norm Powell, the beloved former Raptor who’s immediately in Year 12, and at 33, a prepared mentor to a Bulls group overflowing with younger expertise discovering their means within the NBA. “I think it’s easier with a young group (to be a good example),” stated Powell, who had 15 factors in 22 minutes. “They don’t know what they don’t know, in order that they’re all like sponges, and no matter you present them, they’re going to gravitate to as a result of that is their first time, so that you sort of set the inspiration of what the brotherhood seems like taking part in within the NBA. With an older group, guys are likely to set of their methods and have a sure means of doing issues and it’s onerous to interrupt these habits. But we don’t have any habits; we’re simply studying them.

Breaking out? There aren’t many gamers who had a pre-season higher than Leonard Miller. The 23-year-old Bulls ahead from Scarborough continues to be looking for his NBA area of interest in his fourth season however actually opened some eyes when he averaged 16.4 factors, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists on 62 per cent capturing (together with 55.6 per cent from three) for the rebuilding Bulls within the pre-season. More spectacular? He did all of it in simply 19.7 minutes per recreation. “I didn’t know him at all, but I got an opportunity to see him in our gym in August and September and he was tremendous,” stated new Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter. “And what we saw there was what you saw in the pre- season and hopefully it carries over to the regular season.”

That will nonetheless take some work, as Miller completed with 4 factors on 2-of-9 capturing with 5 turnovers in 26 minutes in entrance of a giant gathering of family and friends in his first NBA recreation in his hometown. He’s not an NBA common but however appears to have a stable grasp on what it’ll take. “I feel like I’m a pretty consistent player and I try to be. Every day, every time I go out on the court, I try to make sure I’m felt,” he stated after I spoke with him Wednesday morning. “It’s simply who I’m, so hopefully to start out the season and all through the season I’ll proceed doing what I’ve been doing.”

And on his knack for rebounding (he’s at 9.5 rebounds/36 minutes for his profession)? “That a part of the sport simply comes all the way down to grit. It comes all the way down to when you actually need it. So attempt to go down there and attempt to safe possessions for my group, and if it means taking place there and staying heavy on the glass, then that’s a small factor I’m prepared to do.”

Stuart’s (Stewart’s?) telephone blowing up: The different day, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic was requested if he might really feel the joy across the metropolis. Based on a pattern dimension of 1, sure, apparently. “I have a neighbour, Stuart (Stewart?), he’s (a) pain in the ass. Every day he’s asking about the team and the buzz in the city; he’s really good thermometer for me.” And how did Stuart (Stewart) really feel about his pesky fandom turning into a part of the general public area? “Nobody is more Canadian than my friend Stuart (we’ll just call him Stu),” stated Rajakovic earlier than the sport. “(Tuesday) night he texted me and said he’s (at the rink) over here, drinking some Tim Hortons, watching some hockey and getting lots of text messages from his friends.”