Jun 7, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) passes the ball while Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and guard Danny Green (14) defend during the first quarter game four of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Kawhi Leonard's Ex-Raptors Teammate Reveals Impressive Untold Story

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated May 29, 2025 2:40 PM ET

The Toronto Raptors finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 30-52 record, but it wasn't that long ago when they were on top of the NBA world. During the 2018 offseason, the Raptors swung for the fences when they traded franchise legend DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. It paid off, to say the least.

Toronto went on to win its franchise's only championship in 2019, defeating the Golden State Warriors. A team loaded with current and former NBA stars, such as Norman Powell and OG Anunoby coming off the bench, it was Leonard who led the way in arguably the best season of his career. However, Leonard took some time to develop in the league, as Green recently shared a story about it.

Danny Green explains how Kawhi Leonard reconstructed his shot pic.twitter.com/qWTeVk3Hh1
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) May 18, 2025

In an appearance on Gil's Arena, Green shared that the Spurs had to rework Leonard's jump shot to get him to where he is today. Leonard shot just 37.6% from three as a rookie on only 1.7 attempts, while this past season he shot 41.1% on 5.1 attempts per game.

"He worked on his shot every day," Green said. "Started in close, free throw line, then he expanded and became a 40% three-point shooter, took his time." After Leonard started to solidify his jump shot, Green said the Spurs pivoted from giving Tony Parker the ball in the clutch to giving it to Leonard.

Now, set to turn 34 years old by the start of next season, Leonard is still one of the best shooters in the league, who finished his post-All-Star break stretch with a 61.1 TS%. Even though he might not look like that San Antonio or Toronto version again, he had one of the highest peaks during his generation.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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