Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard makes worthwhile pre-season debut

TORONTO — You can by no means knock Darko Rajakovic for his enthusiasm. 

The Toronto Raptors head coach is perpetually caffeinated, in each the literal and figurative sense. 

So maintain that in thoughts when he described his view on Kawhi Leonard lastly placing on a Raptors uniform for the primary time since he lifted the Finals MVP trophy over his head at Oracle Arena in June 2019. 

“It’s going to be super-important to get him with our guys on the court, to get him integrated and it’s very special that it’s happening here at home in front of our fans in Toronto and not some road game,” Rajakovic mentioned earlier than Leonard suited up Tuesday night time for the third of the Raptors’ 5 exhibition video games and the one one at Scotiabank Arena. “It’s a very special day for him. It’s a very special day for us. We’re super excited.” 

But on this occasion, Rajakovic’s ardour was correctly positioned. “Special” and “pre-season” usually don’t do effectively in the identical sentence, however on this case all of it match.

Leonard’s debut — particularly by pre-season requirements — was completely thrilling. The anticipation had been constructing. Leonard’s Raptors return has been one thing each the group and the fan base had been wanting ahead to since Toronto tried buying him from the Los Angeles Clippers on June 30, solely to have to attend for greater than two months for the commerce to be accomplished pending an NBA investigation into wage cap circumvention by the Clippers on behalf of Leonard. 

The delay within the commerce set again Leonard’s readiness for coaching camp, so he sat out Toronto’s first two pre-season video games for “reconditioning” functions. 

But the wait was lastly over as Leonard took the ground at Scotiabank Arena as a Raptor for the primary time since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

And the wait was value it — virtually just like the final seven years by no means occurred and Leonard remembered not solely the place the house dressing room was however all of his passwords too.

“It feels good, just being out there and playing a different opponent was great,” mentioned Leonard after main the Raptors to a dominating 148-98 win over the New York Knicks, bettering the Raptors’ pre-season document to 2-1 with street video games towards the Knicks and Detroit Pistons to spherical out their schedule earlier than they host the Chicago Bulls subsequent Wednesday within the season-opener. “The crowd was involved … we came in and got focused on defence, that was my intention. I wanted to get out there and get tired — I still want to get in better shape — but it was fun to play.”

When Leonard left the Raptors, he was the very best two-way participant within the sport with two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs to show it. 

Now? At 35, he is older and presumably wiser, whereas remaining a two-way pressure. His first spotlight play in his second tour with Toronto? Digging in on Knicks level guard Jose Alvarado and pulling out the basketball along with his large claw-like grip. That ball received pushed forward and ended up as a clear look by Leonard from three as a trailer in transition that he missed, however the tone was set.

“Defensively, oh my God, he looked amazing, the way he played today,” mentioned Scottie Barnes (19 factors, six rebounds, 4 assists and two steals in 22 minutes), who ought to mix with Leonard and second-year ahead Collin Murray-Boyles (19 factors and 9 rebounds on 7-of-7 taking pictures) to type one of the vital fearsome and versatile defensive trios throughout the NBA. “Just being energetic, poking on the ball, physicality. It was superb.”

Now, some necessary caveats: The roster the Knicks placed on the ground bore no resemblance to the lineup that gained an NBA championship in June and which thumped the Raptors 5 instances within the common season final yr, every another convincing than the final.

That’s as a result of the Knicks performed in New York on Monday night time and left their starters residence fairly than play them on the second night time of a back-to-back in pre-season.

So for all the nice feels generated by the Raptors’ dominance and Leonard’s brilliance, it’s value noting that nearly nobody they had been competing towards shall be on the ground when the 2 groups meet within the common season.

But in Leonard’s first reside motion since his Clippers misplaced in the course of the Play-in Tournament in April, he on the very least appeared each inch what the Raptors had when he was final right here, they usually very a lot hope they had been getting, once they traded for him and signed him to a two-year $115 million contract extension that takes him by way of his age 37 season: among the best gamers within the sport.

For his half, Leonard wasn’t easing into something. 

He ended up taking part in 16 minutes — all within the first half — and was a game-bending presence for nearly each second of them, ending up with 21 factors on 12 photographs (4-of-8 from three), together with 5 rebounds and two steals.

It’s a bit hyperbolic to say that the Raptors gained Leonard’s minutes by 28 factors solely due to him, nevertheless it’s no stretch to argue that merely having Leonard on the ground made the remainder of the Raptors higher.

Leonard received his offence very a lot within the movement of the sport. He was content material to behave as each a trailing outlet on some transition alternatives or dash to the nook to function a hit-ahead goal on others. He hit threes in each situations. He wasn’t simply energetic when he thought he might get a steal — he threw himself into halfcourt traps in assist of his teammates like a rookie desperate to impress.

“That’s how I like to play, that’s how I grew up to play in the NBA,” mentioned Leonard. “A team game and just everybody really being involved on any given night.”

His teammates ought to profit. Late within the first quarter, Barnes attacked the defence on an isolation play the place the versatile Raptors star might actually function 1-on-1 with out concern of a second defender as Leonard and Immanuel Quickley — on paper the Raptors’ two greatest three-point taking pictures threats — noticed up on the weak aspect of the ground the place the Knicks had been reluctant to play off them. Barnes scored simply. 

Defensively, Leonard predictably gave Rajakovic loads of choices to place numerous mixtures on the ground that would change virtually each place and hound the ball at each flip. Late within the second quarter, Leonard and Barnes trapped the Knicks level guard at half after which Leonard switched out of that onto a Knicks ahead earlier than lastly switching once more and walling off the Knicks centre to permit Murray-Boyles an uncontested defensive rebound.

The 15-year veteran performs the sport the proper method, from his defensive presence to his willingness to stability the ground in transition, whether or not the ball is coming his method or not. Leonard is an thrilling participant as a result of he can rating with quantity within the hardest conditions, nevertheless it’s constructed on a basis of fundamentals. 

“Whatever is needed from me,” he mentioned. “That’s how I learned to play in the NBA. Running for others. If I’m above the ball and I’m able to sprint to the corner and the shot doesn’t come to me but just giving anybody a lane to drive for the basket … running for others and then yourself … I just want to help others and help my team and hopefully I’ll play a good game.”

It might not have been the NBA-champion Knicks the Raptors and Leonard dominated, however these ideas ought to maintain up towards any competitors.

1. Oh, yeah, that man:  Normally, a first-round decide making his NBA debut would offer loads of buzz for a pre-season recreation, however Allen Graves occurred to take the ground for the primary time on the identical night time that Leonard made his first look with the Raptors and received overshadowed slightly bit. Graves’ debut had been pushed again by a minor groin damage, however he’d been producing loads of pleasure behind the scenes, on prime of his spectacular displaying in Summer League. There are minutes obtainable on the Raptors’ second unit, and the group would really like nothing higher than if the versatile 20-year-old they took with the nineteenth select of Santa Clara might earn a few of them.

He actually confirmed flashes — his greatest play might need been following his personal missed three and gaining management of the rebound sufficient to faucet it again to hit Ja’Kobe Walter for a lay-up. A number of moments later Walter discovered Graves for an open three that the rookie knocked down for his first (pre-season) NBA factors. For the night time, he completed with 5 factors, 4 rebounds and a steal in quarter-hour of motion. That he solely made one three was much less necessary than that he let seven of them fly, on condition that having the ability to take and make some threes will go a good distance in serving to Graves earn regular-season minutes. He did have 4 fouls, however Rajakovic favored that too: “I think he was great. He was aggressive on defence and I actually loved the fouls he picked up tonight.”

2. And that man: This time a yr in the past Ochai Agbaji was being appeared to by the Raptors as a attainable rotation fixture, supplied he might observe up on a promising 2024-25 season when he shot 39.9 per cent from three and confirmed a willingness to make use of his athletic six-foot-five body as a strong wing defender. But a sluggish begin final season, coupled with the emergence of Walter, noticed the Raptors salary-dump Agbaji to Brooklyn mid-season. The Knicks — needing some low cost back-end rotation gamers — signed the previous 14th decide within the 2022 draft to a non-guaranteed deal for coaching camp. “He’s pretty versatile,” mentioned Knicks head coach Mike Brown. “He’s an NBA player, (but) it’s more about fit with a certain situation, whether it’s here or somewhere else.” Agbaji performed 10 minutes and was 0-of-2 from the ground. 

3. Getting more healthy: In addition to Leonard and Graves returning to reside motion, second-year wing Alijah Martin and back-up centre Trayce Jackson-Davis noticed their first motion of the pre-season.

Martin was out whereas recovering from an low season knee damage, whereas Jackson-Davis missed time because the Raptors tried to determine what was making discomfort within the type of complications and ache down the proper aspect of his face. He took an elbow throughout coaching camp and he instructed me the issue finally turned sourced to an irritated nerve that ran alongside his jaw. No enjoyable. Martin had an help and three steals as highlights of his 12 minutes of labor, whereas Jackson-Davis had 9 factors, three rebounds and a steal in his 10 minutes. Jamison Battle (again) is the one projected Raptors common who has but to see motion to date.