KawhiLeonard

Preseason question: Can Kawhi and the Raptors recapture their magic? Just like in 2018-19, Leonard arrives in Toronto amid, um, unusual circumstances. A lot has transpired since then, but Leonard still has the ability to elevate an established team to a higher plane. At 34 years old, across 65 games last season, he set high-water marks in PER (27.9, fifth in the NBA), true shooting percentage, usage rate, and total 3s made. Kawhi is an X-Acto knife who will bring needed precision to Toronto. His isolation shotmaking will be critical in a crowded half-court offense, and his ability to soak up possessions should further empower Scottie Barnes to fulfill his jack-of-all-trades destiny. Leonard’s defense—which also quietly perked up last season in L.A.—will enable the Raptors to lean further into the helter-skelter identity that crystallized during their encouraging first-round playoff loss to the Cavaliers in May. 

 

Of course, Leonard’s season will be dogged by the cap circumvention scandal that still smolders at the Intuit Dome even as Kawhi hightailed it to Canada and a new two-year, $115 million extension. Kawhi is clearly ready to turn the page from his L.A. tenure and everything that came with it; in an introductory video posted to the Raptors’ YouTube account, Kawhi did infinitely more promotional work in 10 minutes than he did for Aspiration, Daktronics, and Boingo combined. Whether the rest of the NBA world is ready to turn the page with him will depend in large part on whether Leonard can stay healthy enough to shift the focus back to his still meaningful on-court contributions.