The Toronto Raptors may have been facing the New York Knicks’ C-Team, but that wasn’t why fans packed the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
New York could’ve grabbed randoms off NBA Twitter and the electricity in the building would’ve remained.
Here are a few thoughts and quotes to drop in your group chat after the Raptors defeated the Knicks 148-98.
He return
“I tried to get those guys as much as possible on the court together so they can figure out the chemistry and spacing” – Darko Rajakovic.
It’s been 2,682 days (seven years, four months, and three days) since Kawhi Leonard last donned a Raptors uniform in front of the Toronto faithful. That was when Leonard authored a mesmerizing one-man show against the Warriors before Head Coach Nick Nurse called (a now untimely) timeout.
Leonard seemed intent on knocking down a triple to begin his second stint in Toronto, with the superstar’s first three shots coming from beyond the arc. He eventually hit a three-pointer from the left wing, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
He followed that by posting up Jose Alvarado on the left baseline, before drilling a turnaround fadeaway. Leonard’s first points as a 35-year-old Raptor technically came at the free-throw line. That’s basically comfort food offence for a team that has previously struggled when things slow down in the playoffs or opposing defences resort to zone.
“I wanted to get after it and get tired,” said Leonard. “I still want to get in better shape but it was fun to play.”
When Leonard returned in the second quarter, he transported us back to 2019 with a right-corner triple that required a friendly bounce courtesy of his favourite rim in the league.
Leonard was everything we remembered him to be. He finished with 21 points and five rebounds on 50 per cent shooting. He also added two steals. This was all accomplished in 17 minutes of play. Have the rest of the pre-season off big guy.
Chalk it up to rookie nerves
“I have huge trust in Allen and his three-point shooting.” – Darko Rajakovic
After missing the first two pre-season games in Quebec City and Vancouver, Allen Graves finally made his debut. If Leonard hadn’t dressed, Graves would have been the apple of everyone’s eye. It’s probably best that wasn’t the case, at least early on, as it seemed Graves had understandable “first-game-as-a-pro” jitters.
In less than four minutes, Graves picked up three fouls, with the third coming after he bowled over Drew Eubanks while trying to grab a defensive rebound.
For the most part, Graves was parked in a corner on offence. He missed his first three attempts from deep but finally knocked down his first bucket as a professional in the second quarter. It should be noted that he was wide open on these attempts, which should be a common occurrence playing alongside Leonard and as opponents dare him to shoot.
I loved how active he was on the court. There was a play where he chased down his own miss and poked the ball loose, subsequently resulting in Ja’Kobe Walter getting two points.
The trio needs a nickname
“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented…they make things easy.” – Kawhi Leonard
Speaking of Graves, fans were finally treated to the beautiful and blinding chaos that comes with the rookie playing next to Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. The trio made their debut in the back end of the first quarter. They were flying.
Flanked by Walter and Jamal Shead, the group forced a shot-clock violation, a handful of turnovers and deflections, a dead-ball and the Knicks’ bench into never-ending uncertainty.
Shortly after, Head Coach Rajakovic tried a different combination with Immanuel Quickley and Leonard. It’ll be fun to see what kind of lineups the coaching staff deploys with Toronto’s newest set of triplets.
That’s an interesting development
“When Kawhi is on the floor, he attracts so much gravity…they really complement each other well.” – Darko Rajakovic
It seems that even though Brandon Ingram may be in Los Angeles, his signature baseline fadeaway remained behind in Toronto, specifically in the hands of Barnes. The All-Star normally resembles a running back with the ball in his hands, but he was silky-smooth on the baseline and knocked down numerous jumpers with a high degree of difficulty. Ingram would have been proud.
As for Murray-Boyles, he finished a perfect two-of-two from distance. He averaged less than one three-point attempt a game in his rookie year, while shooting 34 per cent. If he can average around two three-point shots while maintaining a similar average, that would be incredible. Toronto shot 35.4 per cent from three last season.
“Collin worked so hard over the course of the summer on his shooting,” said Rajakovic. “We need more guys that can be willing to take shots.”
Eyes on Darko
“At the end of our conversation, he always tells me to go play basketball.” Kawhi Leonard on Darko
Pre-season reps are valuable, even for the coaches. With 1.2 seconds left in the first half, the Raptors forced a turnover, inspiring Rajakovic to call a timeout. The exhibition was already a blowout at that point, but Rajakovic wasn’t going to let a learning opportunity slip by.
The Raptors drew up a play that involved Leonard screening for CMB on the left elbow, before CMB pivoted into a screen for Leonard. This triggered the inbound, which Leonard caught on a ‘76ers bounce cut’ (what I’m tentatively calling the route). Before Leonard could add to his stat line, he was fouled.
A big part of the 2019 championship run was Nurse’s development. He started the season as an unknown variable type of coach, but later evolved into a mad scientist. Rajakovic’s continued progression will also play a pivotal role in determining the ceiling of the 2026-27 Raptors.
A New York state of mind
“We have good guys that are about the right stuff, are all in, and have embraced our culture.” – Mike Brown
Before the game, Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown was asked how the team plans to stay locked in despite potential distractions (Karl-Anthony Towns). With zero hesitation, Brown highlighted an organization-wide commitment to chasing one very obvious goal, and it’s more than just a verbal promise.
“We have our standard written down that everybody signed, similar to a contract,” said Brown. “This way, it allows all of us, starting from the top down, to hold each other accountable.”
The Knicks fall to 0-4 in pre-season play, once again proving that these are practice reps on public display.
