The Toronto Raptors are expected to take an even bigger leap during the 2026-27 season now that they have the services of two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard once more. In a move that seemed to rectify his decision to leave the team in free agency back in 2019, Leonard is back in the North — leaving behind a Los Angeles Clippers team that now has to build from the ground up after getting the hammer from the NBA after being found guilty of cap circumvention.

Nonetheless, the Clippers' loss is the Raptors' gain, and no one on the Toronto roster seems to be more enthusiastic with Leonard's arrival than Scottie Barnes. Barnes may be the face of the team, its franchise cornerstone, but Leonard's arrival gives Toronto the first option it needs on offense all while maintaining the same level of tenacity on the defensive end.

Barnes, in a post on his official Instagram account, thanked his lucky stars for putting him in the position he's in with the Raptors.

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Barnes' enthusiasm makes sense. Even before he played for the Raptors, he saw Leonard as someone he would want to be teammates with someday. Now that has become a reality. Leonard may now have lost a step or two on defense considering that he's already 35 years of age, but he's still an incredible team defender, and he can lock in individually from time to time as well.

Leonard does indeed fit with the Raptors' goal of bullying opposing teams on defense. Barnes is already one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA, a legitimate stocks (steals plus blocks) machine. Having Leonard alongside him feels almost mean.

Barnes has had to be patient following the Raptors' decision to rebuild during the 2023-24 season. But now that Leonard is here, it is winning time yet again in Toronto. For a team coming off a hard-fought seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2026 NBA playoffs, the best may be yet to come — especially with the 25-year-old forward being hard at work in the lab.