Kawhi Leonard Is Already Making Scottie Barnes Better for the Raptors

One Toronto Raptors preseason game in, Scottie Barnes says Kawhi Leonard’s gravity is already making his job easier, and the numbers back him up.

Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes before a Toronto Raptors game against the New York Knicks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard’s impact on Scottie Barnes didn’t take long to show up. In their first preseason game together, Barnes shot 8 of 10 from the field.

“Just getting downhill,” Barnes said Wednesday when asked what felt easiest with Leonard on the floor. “He’s gonna draw so much attention.”

In Leonard’s first game back in a Raptors uniform, Barnes finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists across 22 minutes in a 148-98 rout of the New York Knicks. He was perfect in the paint, driving lanes that opened with Leonard beside him.

The gravity effect

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic watches the action against the New York Knicks during the first half. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic saw it from the bench.

Leonard “opens up a lot of space for Scottie and Quick and RJ and for everybody else,” Rajakovic said after the game. “They really complement each other well.”

Leonard did his part, scoring a game-high 21 points in 17 minutes on 6-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers.

Defenses can’t help off him. He averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game and shot 38.7% from 3-point range last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Leonard has elevated a Raptors teammate before. Pascal Siakam went from 7.3 points per game to 16.9 in 2018-19 and won Most Improved Player. Leonard wasn’t the only factor; Siakam was still developing in his third season and moved into the starting lineup full time. And with Leonard sitting out 22 games for load management, the two weren’t always on the floor together. Still, Siakam’s leap proved crucial to the Raptors’ championship run.

A Lighter Load

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes comes down with a rebound against the New York Knicks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Barnes has shown he can create on his own. Against Cleveland in the first round, he averaged 24.1 points and 8.6 assists with Immanuel Quickley out the entire series and Brandon Ingram out for the final two games.

Now he won’t have to create on every possession, and Leonard isn’t arriving in search of shots. He described his approach as “running for others first and then yourself” after Tuesday’s game.

One game, but a real clue

Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard during player introductions before a game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Barnes was the first to put Tuesday in perspective.

“They didn’t really have their guys out there on the floor,” he said Wednesday of a Knicks team that rested its starters.

Leonard is expected to play once more before the Raptors open the regular season Oct. 21 at home against the Chicago Bulls. Barnes likes where things are headed.

“I think it’s going really good,” Barnes said. “I think we’re trending upwards.”

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