Eyes on the rim, feet at the stripe, Kawhi Leonard set himself to shoot a free-throw in Wednesday's first half when a cry arose from section 112 inside Crypto.com Arena.
"Thank you for the banner!" a row of fans wearing Toronto jerseys yelled.
In an era when superstars don't stay put long, Leonard's departure from Toronto, and its newly won NBA title, for Los Angeles four years ago can feel like an eternity. Yet Raptors coach Nick Nurse, before the Clippers' 108-100 win, recalled the lasting imprint of Leonard "elevating a lot of people's confidence and people's game" during his lone Raptors season. Leonard's ability to make minute defensive adjustments in the span of a timeout or free throw "was amazing," Nurse said. The development of Toronto's Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet into stars has followed Leonard's lead.
