By admin 
With all the hullabaloo involving Kawhi Leonard and his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, seemingly in the rearview mirror for now, the former two-time NBA Finals MVP finally joined his new team, the Toronto Raptors, less than a week before training camp commences.
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And right from the jump, despite everything that has been written and said about his overbearing ways, Kawhi made it clear that he’s with the Raptors to complement their fast-rising two-way star, Scottie Barnes, not to take over the team.
Kawhi says it’s Scottie’s team
The Raptors were a pleasant surprise last season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference and taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games before falling in the first round of the playoffs. While the team had solid scorers in Brandon Ingram, Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, they made their mark on the defensive end.
With pesky backcourt defenders willing to hound opposing guards for 94 feet, Barnes seemingly getting his hands on the ball whenever he got near it, and Jakob Poeltl providing decent rim protection, the Raptors finished the season fifth in defensive rating and ninth in points allowed per game.
Kawhi saw all this from afar and admitted he liked what he saw.
“You guys are very aggressive. Last year, you know, playing against you guys and watching, so it was fun,” Leonard
“I’m not here to take over anything. I want to, you know, help your vision. Help Scottie, whatever. I just want to win. If it’s Scottie’s team, it’s his team,” the two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner added. “I’ll just go in and just do whatever it takes to help guys need.”
While his off-court reputation has left much to be desired, Kawhi’s stature on the basketball court remains intact: when healthy and engaged, he is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, a highly efficient scorer who can rip apart any defense from anywhere on the court.
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Relished returning to Toronto
Some have said that Leonard took the easy way out, leaving the Clippers as their house burned and heading to a team that has all the personnel needed to make a lot of noise in the East. However, the Klaw clarified that deciding to return to Toronto was more than just about hoops.
“I’m not really championship chasing, trying to find the best team I could win. You know, I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys, and, you know, the city took a liking to my family. I took a liking to the city. Really enjoyed it. My son was born here, and, you know, he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back,” Kawhi narrated. “So, you know, now he’s back and, you know, he’s able to see it rather than me tell him the great stories that happened.”
At the end of the day, it’s all about the main thing: basketball. On that end, the Raptors genuinely have a shot at finishing in the top three of the East – something that former Raptors guard Jeremy Lin predicted.
“This group played great last year. I watched them a lot. I’m going to watch more film throughout the summer to see how I could help. I mean, you got, you know, Scottie Barnes, you know, showed his talents over the last two or three years. He’s becoming an All-Star. He’s going to be a problem this next coming year,” Kawhi asserted.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 11:07 PM.