Kawhi Leonard is coming back to Toronto with the kind of reputation that usually dominates the conversation: elite two-way force, go-to scorer, proven winner. That part is obvious. What keeps getting lost in the noise is the weapon that could matter just as much for the Raptors’ offense - his three-point shooting.
With the NBA’s investigation into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap circumvention wrapped up, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the deal is expected to be completed soon. And once that happens, Toronto won’t just be getting a star who can take over late. It’ll be getting one of the league’s most reliable perimeter threats, too.
Leonard’s numbers make the case loud and clear. Last season, he finished seventh in MVP voting while putting up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
He also shot 38.7 percent from three on 6.8 attempts a night. That kind of volume and accuracy is not a side note, especially for a Raptors team that finished 25th in threes made last season.
The outside shot has been a steady part of Leonard’s game for years. His career mark from deep sits at 39.1 percent, and over the three seasons leading into his top-seven MVP finish in 2025-26, he hit 41.6, 41.7, and 41.1 percent from three, all while taking more than 4.8 attempts per game.
That’s not just respectable spacing. That’s a defender-magnet.
For Toronto, the fit goes beyond the headline names. Since the Scottie Barnes era began, the Raptors haven’t had anyone with Leonard’s kind of pull-up shooting.
Barnes does his best work when he gets downhill and forces help, and Leonard gives him a clean outlet when defenders collapse. Drive-and-kick basketball gets a lot more dangerous when the pass can go to a player who can rise and bury a three without hesitation.
Leonard can do damage in a bunch of ways from beyond the arc. He can knock down catch-and-shoot looks, score off the dribble in isolation, punish teams when the clock is running down, and stop on a dime in transition to launch a shot. That versatility matters even more in the playoffs, where his 39.9 percent career three-point shooting gives Toronto another dependable answer when possessions tighten up.
When people talk about Leonard returning, the spotlight will naturally fall on his championship pedigree, his scoring, his leadership, and everything he brings on both ends. But the piece that could quietly shape this Raptors team most is the one that doesn’t always get the first mention: the ability to punish defenses from deep.
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