In 2018, when the Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard, they hoped his leadership and championship experience from his time in San Antonio would help propel the Raptors over the hump to compete for an NBA title. That is exactly what happened.
Leonard appeared in 60 games for the Raptors, averaging 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. His regular season was good, but what made him a legend in Toronto is what occurred in the postseason that year.
The Raptors entered the 2019 playoffs as the second seed and battled through the East, including an epic seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Leonard famously nailed the game-winning buzzer beater, the first-ever buzzer-beating game-winner in a Game 7.
The Raptors would go on to reach the NBA Finals and overcame the odds to defeat the dynasty that was the Golden State Warriors. Leonard was named the Finals MVP and was forever known as a true legend in Raptors history.
Kawhi Leonard 2.0 in Toronto
Leonard famously left the Raptors after winning the title and headed to Los Angeles to try and bring the Clippers their first championship. Things in LA have not gone as planned for Leonard.
Injuries have played a huge part in Leonard’s tenure with the Clippers, leading to disappointing playoff exits. This was a big reason why the Clippers decided to part ways with the two-time Finals MVP, sending him back to Toronto.
The Raptors are ecstatic to have Leonard back after seven years, but they did give up some big pieces to acquire him. Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and future draft picks to the Clippers to get Leonard back.
The move immediately sparked memories of 2019, and Raptors fans are hoping Leonard can lead Toronto back to the promised land. The problem is that it has been seven years and Leonard’s constant injury situation has hindered his play and, more importantly, his availability.
The NBA landscape has also changed. Super teams that ruled the 2010s are no longer an issue, yet great balanced teams are. There has been a different NBA champion in every season since Leonard’s Raptors won the title in 2019.
Does this mean the Raptors are due for a championship in 2027? It depends. The 2026-27 Raptors roster is certainly made up differently than in 2019, which had a great core placed around Leonard.
Not only was veteran and Raptors leader Kyle Lowry on the roster, but Toronto boasted strong players that checked off every box you want from an NBA roster. Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol were a few of the players that fit perfectly next to Leonard.
As of today, the roster around Leonard has three promising young players in Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett. But the overall solid core and veteran leadership are missing.
Expectations Are Higher Than Ever
The Raptors are not the same team that won the 2019 NBA title, but ironically, the expectations surrounding Leonard may actually be greater now than in 2019. Toronto should be a top contender in the Eastern Conference next season and if Leonard can stay healthy, they do have a legitimate chance to challenge the New York Knicks.
The reason that the Raptors are looked at as a strong contender out East is due to the potential their young players have. Barnes, in particular, has a chance to blossom into a true superstar in the league. He’s a two-way player who can affect the game on either side of the ball while quietly developing into a leader in the locker room.
Last season, Barnes averaged 18.1 points per game, while adding 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Yes, he can really do it all.
Barnes also shot above fifty percent from the field, but did struggle from beyond the three-point line. Still, his intensity on defense is what made him stand out.
Barnes finished the 2025-26 season by making the second All-Defensive Team, while being fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
On top of the play of Barnes, Quickley, and Barrett, the Raptors have Jakob Poeltl at center, Jamal Shead backing Quickley at the point, and Ja’Kobe Walter as backup shooting guard.
All three of the latter players mentioned helped Barnes turn the Raptors into a defensive powerhouse in the league. The Raptors finished the 2025-26 season with the fifth-best defensive rating at 113.25.
This intensity on the defensive side of the ball helped them overcome predictions last season and win 46 games, while earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Raptors showed their potential by pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round.
Now by adding Leonard, a former two-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, the Raptors are poised to cause havoc on that side of the ball. The problems the Raptors faced last season were on the offensive side of the ball, especially with shooting the long ball.
Toronto finished near the bottom in all three three-point categories last season. They were both 26th in three-point attempts and makes, and 21st in three-point percentage during the 2025-26 season.
The Raptors also finished 15th in the league with an offensive rating of 115.83. Adding Leonard back into the lineup certainly was a good pickup for Toronto overall, but losing Ingram’s 21.5 points per game will hurt.
The Raptors have tried to fix these issues already in the NBA Draft. Their first pick, 19th overall, was Allen Graves out of Santa Clara. Graves is coming off an impressive freshman season where he averaged 11.8 points while grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game.
This was a great pickup for Toronto mainly due to Graves’ shooting ability. He shot 51.2 percent from the field, including 41.3 percent from three-point range.
It would be a storybook ending for Leonard’s career if he can lead the Raptors to another title in his return to Toronto. If the Raptors want to make this a reality, they will likely have to add more veteran pieces and shooters around their stars.
For now, however, fans are just happy to have their championship leader back in Toronto. Leonard 2.0 will definitely take next NBA season by storm.
