Recently, the Toronto Raptors saw the preseason debut of Kawhi Leonard, who is beginning his second tenure with the team this season. Leonard was finally brought to the Raptors via trade after the Los Angeles Clippers investigation played out, and he will look to pick up where he left off after leading Toronto to a championship in the 2019 season.

Now, former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has dropped a hot take about Leonard's stature in the league.

“Kawhi Leonard is the most feared and most dangerous player in the Eastern Conference,” said Leonard, per NBABase on X, formerly Twitter, via NBACentral.

Fans in the comment section had thoughts on the hot take.

“As if Giannis doesn’t exist,” wrote one fan.

However, other fans agreed with the take.

“Kawhi is more of a threat than giannis btw,” wrote another.

Perkins has become known for his prisoner of the moment takes over the years, so it's certainly not off-brand for him to make a bold proclamation after one preseason game.

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Leonard enjoyed arguably the best season of his career last year with the Clippers, but he melted down in the play-in tournament against the Golden State Warriors, bringing his tenure in Los Angeles to an unceremonious end.

Of course, there are also still ever-present questions about Leonard's health and availability, both of which have been massive red flags throughout his career, although he was mostly able to stay on the court throughout last season.

Leonard and Antetokounmpo will have the right to compete for Perkins' abstract and unprovable title when this regular season gets underway, with the Raptors slated to kick things off against the Chicago Bulls on October 21.