On Wednesday, Kawhi Leonard will return to Toronto for the first time since leaving the Raptors for the LA Clippers in free agency.
Leonard's time with the Raptors was short but memorable, to say the least. He averaged a career-high 26.6 points in the 2018-19 regular season, as well as 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He then led the Raptors to their first-ever title with a historic performance in the playoffs that saw him win his second Finals MVP award.
Ahead of Wednesday's matchup, Leonard says he's focused primarily on winning the game, although he's excited to finally get his championship ring.
“I’ll be thinking about just playing against the team and wanting to win the game, for the most part," Leonard said, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. "Just really getting my ring that night. ... We’re there for one reason: to play the Raptors and try to win the game.”
MORE: A closer look at Toronto's championship rings
Leonard has already played the Raptors once this season. On Nov. 11, he recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in a 99-88 win for the Clippers. Leonard struggled with efficiency, however, shooting 2-for-11 from the field and committing a career-high nine turnovers.
According to Game Score, a statistic that gives a rough measure of a player's productivity for a single game, it was Leonard's least productive game of the season.
Leonard is averaging 23.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists since that game. In a recent poll taken by ESPN's Tom Bontempts that included 101 media members, Leonard ranked sixth in MVP voting based on how he's played so far this season behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, James Harden and Pascal Siakam, in that order.
Wednesday will be the final matchup between the Raptors and Clippers this season — unless, of course, the two teams meet in the NBA Finals.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.