Kawhi Leonard was itching to play more in Raptors return but has no timeline on reaching midseason form: ‘You can’t rush greatness’

After the NBA investigation surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap circumvention delayed a trade that ultimately sent Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors, the 35-year-old Leonard was left with a limited runway to the regular season.

With reduced preseason work, the two-time NBA Finals MVP has found himself antsy for more game reps, so much so that he asked back into a season-opening blowout of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in Toronto.

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That said, after scoring 23 points on just 5-of-17 shooting in the 135-92 victory, Leonard isn’t putting a date on when he’ll return to midseason form.

“You can’t rush greatness,” Leonard said postgame, when a reporter inquired if the seven-time All-Star had a target for when he’d like to be at that level again.

“Whenever the medical [staff] thinks I could push forward and I’m feeling great, whatever numbers we’re looking at or they’re looking at, then that’s when that time will come. So yeah, I’m just happy to be out there and try to do the best I can with my minutes.”

Leonard bargained for more Wednesday, finishing with 24. In the process, he also piled up 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 1 block.

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“I really love the fact there that he asked to play more minutes in the fourth quarter just to get his legs under him,” head coach Darko Rajaković said.

Rajaković later added: “We had a plan for him, but he was like, ‘Coach, I would like to play a little bit more there.’ So, I mean, the game was kind of at that point a little bit out of the reach, but I wanted just to save him, and he was like, ‘No, no, I want to go back.’ So I put him back.”

The Toronto Raptors’ season-opening fan giveaway at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Oct. 21 commemorated the return of Kawhi Leonard with a T-shirt that features his hand, which is responsible for Leonard’s signature nickname, “The Klaw.”

(Steve Russell via Getty Images)

The Raptors also got 20-plus points from three other players: RJ Barrett had 20 on the dot, and both Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley clocked out with 23 points.

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But the attention was on Leonard, who was playing in his…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/kawhi-leonard-was-itching-to-play-more-in-raptors-return-but-has-no-timeline-on-reaching-midseason-form-you-cant-rush-greatness-160623143.html

Author : Andy Backstrom

Publish date : 2026-10-22 16:06:00

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