Kawhi Leonard, Raptors Get Fresh Start Both Needed Despite Unknown Futures

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Maybe Kawhi Leonard imagined he would be wearing purple and gold at this point, possibly alongside the game's best player. Or red and blue, if only Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers had conjured up the right package to trade for him.

It was Los Angeles or nothing.

But preference and reality seldom mesh in the world of professional basketball. On Saturday, Leonard was nowhere near Southern California. Rather, he was in Vancouver, making his preseason debut with his new team, the Toronto Raptors.

New uniform, new country, same Kawhi.

In his debut, Leonard finished with 12 points, one rebound, three assists and one steal in 19 minutes during Toronto's 122-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The majority of that came in a highly productive first half. 

Although perhaps temporary—it is no secret Leonard is an unrestricted free agent after this season and has longed to play in his hometown of L.A.—this is the fresh start that both Toronto and the 2014 Finals MVP needed.

Toronto is coming off a disastrous postseason, getting swept by the Cavaliers in the second round despite owning the best regular-season record in the East.

Leonard, on the other hand, is not only returning from a quad injury—one that sidelined him for most of last season—but also a PR disaster over the summer. After his bizarre disappearing act that led to a very public divorce from San Antonio, all eyes will be on both his play and commitment to his new squad.

"I don't feel Kawhi has anything to prove to the Raptors per se," NBA TV analyst Stu Jackson said. "Kawhi needs to prove more to himself, in terms of having confidence that he's healthy. If he's healthy, then he just needs to be himself and do what he does best, and he'll be a great asset to Toronto."

Ninety minutes before the Saturday matinee, the anticipation from the Canadian contingent was apparent. Vancouver has long been a second home for Raptors nation, hosting sold-out exhibition games almost yearly.

A sea of red Raptors apparel dominated the stands—many of which were freshly purchased No. 2 jerseys. The capacity crowd inside Rogers Arena cheered him in the layup line, and the deafening roars and standing ovation during his introduction were the loudest of the night.

"There's a lot of energy; I think the fans are dying to see him again after almost a year," fan and Vancouver resident Lawrence Chan said.

In his first NBA game since Jan. 13, Leonard looked like his usual poised self in the game's opening quarter, patiently picking his spots and moving the ball. Although mildly rusty, struggling with his jump shot early (0-of-4 on threes, 6-of-11 at the line in the first half), he drew oohs from the audience late in the second quarter after hitting Portland's Caleb Swanigan with a step-back dribble before draining a long two.

"Yeah, it's going to take time to get my rhythm," Leonard told reporters after the game. "But I felt great being out there being able to compete like I said before, just having fun."

Defensively, Leonard didn't miss a beat. Looking in phenomenal physical shape, he was quick to react to screens and eliminate driving lanes with his help-side defense. His late second-quarter steal off a Blazers pass led to a fast break where he was fouled.

"You know what I love is every now and then he just ducks into the lane and takes the ball and just lays it in," new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. "Those are such huge plays in the game."

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While it is too early to judge the chemistry between the Raptors' new one-two punch of Kyle Lowry and Leonard, they looked in sync on several plays, including a well-executed, fast break back-and-forth exchange.

Like most of the starters on both squads, Leonard watched the second half, stoically sitting on the bench. Arms crossed, he rarely stood up, occasionally clapping or chatting with his new teammates.

"He's a really quiet guy," Raptors play-by-play announcer Jack Armstrong said. "If you are looking for him to be the vocal guy or the face of the team and all that stuff, that's not his style."

His low-key nature makes him a mystery even compared to the quiet star he's replacing in Toronto. Outside of maybe Vince Carter, DeMar DeRozan is the most beloved Raptor in history. Unlike many NBA players, he embraced Canada, opting to re-sign at each of his free-agency crossroads. In Vancouver, DeRozan jerseys were still the most popular choice.

"I didn't like the trade," Raptors fan and Vancouver resident Anthony Foster said. "Kawhi is a good player, no doubt about it. But if he is a one-and-done, we just wasted all those years on developing a really good player in DeMar."

As controversial as trading their franchise player for a potential one-year rental with questionable health in Leonard is, fans realize the gamble President Masai Ujiri made might finally get Toronto over the hump—especially in the LeBron James-less East.

"At the end of the day, it's a basketball decision. Kawhi has an ability to take us to a different level," said Chan, who was wearing a DeRozan jersey.

"People are really fired up about it. People recognize he gives the Raptors probably their best chance to get to the NBA Finals since 2001, with Vince Carter losing to Allen Iverson and the Sixers [in the conference semifinals]," Armstrong added.

After the game, Leonard scrolled through his phone, leaving a hoard of hovering Canadian media anxiously waiting. He showered and then briefly addressed reporters with uninspiring, single-sentence answers before disappearing. This time, there was no awkward laugh like on media day. The old Kawhi is back after a nine-month hiatus, and he is ready to take care of business.

Will he and Lowry thrive together? Will he take the Raptors to their first Finals? Will he stay or go next summer? There will be a million questions between now and July 1.

"It's a very fine line," Jackson said. "Perhaps he is the difference-maker, but we just don't know yet."