Kawhi actually enjoyed Day 1 of Raptors training camp ... seriously
Kawhi Leonard is absolutely in love with the city of Toronto, adores his teammates and coaches, thinks Masai is a damn boss and is about to sign a lifetime extension to stay with the club after just one day of practice.
Okay not quite, I guess, but Kawhi seemed to have an enjoyable first day of training camp with his new squad, which is a start, at least.
The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year took to the court with his teammates for the first time Tuesday, a day after he – along with Danny Green – spoke publicly for the first time since being acquired from the San Antonio Spurs in the blockbuster DeMar DeRozan deal.
Leonard spoke to media after the session and had nothing but praise for new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and his staff — albeit only one day is in the books.
“[Nurse is] open-minded, ready to adjust on the fly. Just a brilliant mind, loves the game of basketball. I’ve gotta talk to him more, this was just my first practice, but we’re going to develop a good relationship.
“They did a great job of letting us move along with the drills quickly, transition in drills. It was a great practice today. I enjoyed it. Coming back tonight to get some shots up, and I’m ready for Round 2,” Kawhi said.
Leonard, who noted how good it felt to see his first 5-on-5 on-court action since last January, has really helped ease the nerves of Raptors fans over the past couple of days of lieu of weeks of speculation surrounding Kawhi’s acceptance of the trade and desire to remain in Toronto for the long term. Some, in the early going, even feared who wouldn’t report to camp at all.
That sentiment seems distant in the rearview now, as the now Kawhi-led squad shifts its focus to the post-DeMar era with arguably the deepest roster in the Eastern Conference.
