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Kawhi Leonard doesn’t need to be the Raptors’ best player every night

The Toronto Raptors’ reunion with Kawhi Leonard shouldn’t hinge on him replicating his 2019 dominance every night. At 35, Leonard remains a lethal scorer—last season he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game—but the team now has a core built around Scottie Barnes, who stepped up as the franchise’s primary leader.

Barnes delivered 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game last season, guiding Toronto to 46 wins and a seven-game playoff series against Cleveland. Leonard’s role should shift to being the go-to option in crunch time rather than the nightly focal point, allowing Barnes to continue developing as the team’s anchor.

Leonard’s presence alone elevates the entire roster, creating defensive pressure and opening up opportunities for Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, who already showed last season they can compete at a high level without Leonard’s constant involvement. The Raptors’ success now hinges on balancing Leonard’s elite skill with Barnes’ growing confidence, ensuring neither player’s role is undermined by the other’s arrival.

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