How we feelin’, Raptors Nation? Pretty darn excited, I’d bet … I know I am. Toronto opened its regular-season campaign at home against the Chicago Bulls last night, and while I predicted a Raptors win (as I anticipate for the rest of their opening 10-game stretch), I didn’t expect a monster 43-point blowout.
It was great to see the guys back on the hardwood for real regular-season hoops, but the darling of the night (and the apple of every fan’s eye) was Kawhi Leonard’s return. We saw him used sparingly in the preseason, but this was his first official game back as a Raptor.
Leonard started hot, knocking down a classic Kawhi three and sending the Scotiabank Arena crowd into a frenzy. As the game went on, though, it became clear he wasn’t going to have an easy time buying a bucket. In the Raptors’ colossal 135–92 win, Kawhi played nearly 24 minutes and put up 23 points, six rebounds, two assists, four steals, and a block. The volume was there, however, he shot just 5-for-17 from the field (a 29.4 percent clip).
Kawhi's shot wasn't falling, but his impact was still felt
That said, I’m not here to knock Kawhi for a cold shooting night. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how impactful he still was in the Raptors’ dominant effort, even without being an explosive scoring threat. He actually did much of his scoring damage at the free-throw line, going a flawless 11-for-11. And his relentless defense — no surprise from one of the league’s all-time two-way threats — was on full display, along with his underrated rebounding.
It was funny, too: even with the Raptors steamrolling the Bulls by a mile, Kawhi stayed in for some extended run. But, I don’t think anyone can look at Kawhi’s shaky shooting line and call him a non-factor. Any basketball fan knows that scoring buckets isn’t the be-all, end-all of making an impact. And with a Raptors squad built like this, it also gave the other guys a chance to shine.
Scottie Barnes had a little mid-game takeover of his own and put up a balanced stat line while shooting effectively. I also have to give Immanuel Quickley his flowers (I’ll save more for his own piece) after a hot shooting night and a poised, impactful performance at starting point guard. Toronto also got its usual boost from RJ Barrett, plus some gems off the bench like Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, a great rookie debut for Allen Graves, and Collin Murray-Boyles. Later in the game, Trayce Jackson-Davis added some strong minutes, too.
One game of 82 is not indicative of what Kawhi Leonard will look like over that entire stretch. It would have to take some crazy bad string of luck for the Klaw to suddenly fall off a shooting cliff like this for an extended period — I’d bet as the season goes along he’ll figure out the shooting rhythm, get his feet under him, and figure out the chemistry with the rest of his teammates. But this opener still showed that even when Kawhi doesn’t look like Terminator Kawhi, he can still leave a major impact and turn the tide of a game.
It’s certainly a different element from what the Raptors had last season with Brandon Ingram (all due respect). As talented as the Notorious B.I.3 is offensively, the overarching knock on his game is that he can’t be as impactful elsewhere on the floor when his shot isn’t falling. Kawhi, on the other hand, could go ice-cold, and the Raptors can still count on him to make his presence felt.
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