Raptors' Kyle Lowry on Kawhi Leonard: 'How He Approaches S--t Is Unbelievable'
May 25, 2019
Kawhi Leonard has been with the Toronto Raptors for less than a year, but All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has already seen enough.
"The Kawhi thing and how he approaches s--t is unbelievable," Lowry told The Athletic's Michael Lee. "He stays mellow, calm, and I think we kind of took that. He just brought that with him."
After losing their first game of the postseason, the Raptors ran off four straight victories against the Orlando Magic. They then pulled out a hard-fought, seven-game series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
There was no panic after they fell behind 0-2 to the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, they have responded by winning three straight to come within one win of the franchise's first-ever trip to the NBA Finals.
Through it all, Leonard—acquired in an offseason trade involving franchise cornerstone DeMar DeRozan—has dominated:
While many of his teammates have never played in the Finals, Leonard did so twice during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. Not only did he win a ring, but he was also named Finals MVP in 2014.
"I'm not afraid of the moment," Leonard said. "I've been here before. I've been to the Finals, and it's pretty much nothing new that I'm seeing out there. You've just got to have fun with it and enjoy it."
That experience and mentality has allowed him to set the tone in Toronto.