Now that Kawhi Leonard is officially a Toronto Raptor again, fans can finally truly dream about the team’s potential. If healthy, Leonard can help take the Raptors from a fun, young team that’s exceeding expectations to a serious threat in the Eastern Conference.
Leonard’s scoring prowess is the key to reaching that next level, but the Raptors will only be able to reap the full rewards of the trade if Scottie Barnes can be excellent next to Leonard—and maybe even surpass him as the best player on the team, as Zach Lowe and Michael Pina discussed on the September 15 episode of The Zach Lowe Show.
“I think he’s the key to everything in terms of just becoming the Pippen to Kawhi’s Jordan this season,” Pina said.
Lowe responded, “Or something like a complete equal if not in this analogy—no one is Jordan, but is he the superior player this year? That’s how exciting it is.”
Barnes doesn’t necessarily need to surpass Leonard as the best or most productive player on the team this season for the Raptors to become a potential Eastern Conference contender. He does, however, have to be very, very good and regularly play with the offensive intensity he showed in the playoffs while maintaining his excellent defense. If Barnes cannot play at that level, bringing in Leonard alone might not be enough against the top teams in the NBA.
The Kawhi Leonard trade is a massive bet on Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes has always been good. He won Rookie of the Year over Evan Mobley, never averaged fewer than 15 points per game, and became an All-Star in 2024. By now, he has played his way into All-NBA and All-Defensive conversations and is known as one of the most versatile two-way players in the NBA.
Still, he was able to take his game to another level in the playoffs, averaging 24.1 points on very efficient shooting, even from deep, 6.1 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals. With Immanuel Quickley sidelined and Brandon Ingram joining him after five disappointing games, Barnes took it upon himself to will the Raptors to playoff victories—with massive contributions from RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles—and played with a more aggressive scoring mentality.
It wouldn’t be fair to expect Barnes to play with that kind of intense scoring mindset all the time, considering how much he has to do defensively and as a playmaker. Nevertheless, bringing in a veteran superstar, who has a smallish window left to be a go-to scoring option for a potential contender, signals that the Raptors believe Barnes can reach that next level consistently enough to make the trade worth it.
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