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Kawhi Leonard continues to ramp up his preparation at Raptors training camp

No telling when Kawhi Leonard will suit for the Raptors, but there's plenty of time for the star as regular season beckons.

Published Oct 07, 2026  •  4 minute read

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard takes part in a drill at the team's training camp. Ryan Wolstat/X

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Fans of the Raptors — and arguably hoops fans in general — will have to wait a bit longer to watch Kawhi Leonard in his second act with many pining for a repeat performance of his one-and-done season in Toronto.

Memories quickly stirred, nostalgia dominating the landscape when Leonard’s protracted trade from the L.A. Clippers finally became official.

Predictably, none of the fallout from one of the NBA’s most expansive and punitive consequences associated with the whole Clippers’ salary-cap violation seemed to bother anyone associated with the Raptors, an understandable reaction knowing not a single post-season series win has been attained in the Scottie Barnes era.

As a rookie, Barnes was part of a decent Raptors team led by the likes of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby that eventually lost to Philadelphia in six games in the opening round.

The Raptors will soon begin a new season fresh off a competitive seven-game loss to Cleveland in the last year’s first round.

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The presence of Leonard immediately vaults the Raptors on to the level in the Eastern Conference where legitimate contenders reside.

Just how contender-worthy the Raptors eventually emerge will depend so much on Leonard and how someone such as Barnes can co-exist with the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

Toronto’s second pre-season game will be staged in Vancouver this Saturday against the Clippers, an occasion that is not expected to see Leonard suit up for the Raptors.

Exhibition play can be quite tedious and redundant, as can the entire grind of a training camp.

Thankfully, each will soon come to an end when the regular season gets ushered in, a time to properly assess Leonard and Barnes, as well as the rest of the Raptors’ pieces — which do have the potential to be good, but until a sufficient amount of real games are played, any conclusions are meaningless.

Which brings us to Wednesday’s gathering at the Raptors’ practice facility on the grounds of the CNE, a day when Leonard went through another full practice, which always beats the alternative.

During his media availability, head coach Darko Rajakovic would say Leonard looked really good, an assertion that does bode well, but keep in mind the aging superstar has yet to play a game of significance for the team in his second run in Toronto.

“(We did) a lot of contact, a lot of live 5-on-5,” said the affable head coach who rarely, if ever, has an off day when sharing news or his views with the assembled media.

“He did a great job of going out there and trying to feel out his teammates, when to attack, when to pass. I thought he was great.”

As long as Barnes is able to parlay last year’s playoff performance into this season, Leonard doesn’t need to be great.

The team Leonard is joining this time around does not have the veteran presence or the kind of depth as when he first joined and helped lead the Raptors to their 2019 championship, a run highlighted by his epic buzzer-beater in Game 7 against the Sixers in Toronto.

Load management will once again be exercised, but Leonard does return to a Raptors team that will go only as far as Barnes will take them.

Defensive versatility and defensive stoutness will be the Raptors’ calling cards.

Size and perimeter shooting appear to be areas the team will have to somehow address, but Leonard being on board does provide many possibilities and frees up so many options for Rajakovic and his staff.

While he may not play as many as 65 games, as long as Leonard is fully healthy for the post-season, dreams of a title may be realistic.

Like with anything, only time will tell.

The Raptors do have time on their hands, time to experiment, time to integrate as the regular seasons awaits.

The New York Knicks enter the season as reigning champions, a team that has used his physical and mental toughness to dominate the Raptors from the moment Anunoby arrived in Gotham as part of the deal that netted RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for Toronto.

A championship drought ended but, not unexpectedly, a handful of players are now wanting to get paid.

The East is very deep and equally intriguing as the NBA’s balance of power has swung back following years of domination out West.

Mind you, the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are projected to be the teams to go through to win a title.

But that’s far down the road.

For someone such as Kyle Anderson, a veteran who will begin his first season with the Raptors, the Kawhi Leonard he knew in San Antonio is the same person today.

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“I can’t tell the difference,” said Anderson, who spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Spurs and Leonard. “He was efficient then and last season and he’s still one of the best players in the league playing at a very high level.

“Not much has changed … He’s the same person, the same dude.”

Fans should keep in mind that Leonard, while he did post a very good season with the Clippers last year, hasn’t enjoyed the same type of post-season success as he did back in 2018-19.

He’s older, naturally, and by extension more prone to injury, but the Raptors have a unique insight into how to manage Leonard’s playing time and when to play him.

Looking great in training camp is one thing, but the real test arrives well down the road.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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