Kawhi Leonard's first game in a Toronto Raptors uniform since the 2019 NBA Finals yielded winning results despite a shaky shooting night.
The seven-time All-Star recorded 23 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four steals on 5-of-17 shooting in 24 minutes as the Raptors steamrolled the Chicago Bulls 135-92 on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto's 43-point margin of victory is a franchise record for a season opener. The Raptors never trailed in the game.
Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes also scored 23 points each for the hosts, while RJ Barrett chipped in with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
"I thought the shots he was getting were really good shots. He's still building his capacity to play," Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters, per theScore's Joseph Casciaro.
Rajakovic said throughout training camp and the preseason that the Raptors were carefully ramping Leonard up after his addition to the team was delayed by the league's cap-circumvention investigation. Leonard said Wednesday that he had a target of roughly 23-24 minutes for the season opener, and Rajakovic revealed that Leonard asked to re-enter the game early in the fourth quarter despite the team leading by 41.
"I haven't got a chance to play a lot in training camp, so any minutes I can get and continue to play," Leonard told theScore when asked why he wanted to check back into the game, which he did for an additional 83 seconds.
"I just need more reps. This is where I believe you get better. You get better on the floor, trying things, shooting the ball when you're open. You can't wait until practice and then just shoot 100 shots. You need game reps. That's what I was looking for."
Leonard said there's no specific timeline for getting back to his level of play from last season, when he was one of eight players to receive MVP votes.
"You can't rush greatness," the two-time Finals MVP told reporters. "Whenever the medical (team) thinks I can push forward and I'm feeling great, whatever numbers they're looking at, that's when that time will come."
Leonard now has 58 straight games of 20 or more points, which is second among active players behind two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (141).
Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 17 points, courtesy of 13-of-16 shooting from the free-throw line. Former Raptor Norman Powell had 15 points and five boards in his first game with the Bulls after inking a two-year, $45-million deal in free agency.
Fourth overall pick Caleb Wilson struggled in his NBA debut, dropping 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. The former North Carolina standout posted a game-high minus-45, which is tied for the second-worst plus-minus in Bulls history.
Chicago committed 27 turnovers, leading to 35 points for the Raptors. Wilson had a game-high nine.
