Kawhi Leonard shakes off rust, impresses in first appearance with Raptors

The Kawhi Leonard era of Toronto Raptors basketball officially began Saturday night — which means we have something besides his laugh to talk about!

The team played their first preseason game across the country at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. And although it took Kawhi a little while to find his rhythm, he was able to deliver a few highlight reel moments in his first bit of action in Raptors red.

Here’s a tidy little compilation:

Those plays will do enough to wet the palette of supporters who have been craving to see what Leonard can do with the team.

And although he was noticeably a little bit rusty in the contest, what did you expect, man? The guy hadn’t played a game in the NBA since Jan. 13th with the San Antonio Spurs — and he was on the floor with a brand-new collection of teammates!

So yeah, he was going to need a little time to wind it back up.

Kawhi didn’t connect with any of his four three-point attempts, but he still produced 12 points, three assists and a steal in 19 minutes, and looked to be developing some all-important chemistry with Kyle Lowry.

For that, the excitement was only building for Raptors fans.

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