Leonard has appeared in 39 of the Clippers’ 43 games after Friday night’s win at Scotiabank Arena. If they stay healthy (always a big if) they’re legitimate title contenders.There remains an understated elegance to the way Kawhi Leonard plays basketball, a style that Raptors fans came to appreciate during his supernova season in Toronto.

It’s subtle force rather than dynamic flash, a bit of brawn but a bunch of brains, a pro going about his business worried solely about its impact on a single game rather than his reputation.

It’s delightful to watch, as it was in the 2019 NBA championship season here, and the game’s better when he’s a big part of it.

Leonard didn’t dominate the stats sheet as the Clippers beat the Raptors 127-107 on Friday night at Scotiabank Arena — 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal, and his presence was undeniable.

He had a 10-point third quarter that included a corner three-pointer and a couple of his patented mid-range jumpers, but his presence was felt in more subtle ways.

In the second quarter, he stripped Toronto’s Dennis Schröder as the second defender guarding dribble-handoff action, chased down the loose ball that the Raptor eventually deflected out of bounds and calmly walked to the offensive end of the court as if nothing had happened.

It was a difficult play made to look easy, the kind Leonard made hundreds of times in his magical season in Toronto.

“His physicality, long arms, big hands, he is really good in deflections and stripping the ball,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “But also he’s always in the right position, he knows the tendencies of the players. He’s just a very, very complete player.”

And now a completely healthy one.

Leonard has appeared in 39 of the Clippers’ 43 games and went into Friday averaging 34.7 minutes per game, more than he’s averaged in any of his 11 previous seasons. His durability is impressive and has given the Clippers a great measure of consistency.

Leonard and the Clippers, if they stay healthy (and that’s always a big if), are legitimate title contenders.

The addition of James Harden early this season was rocky at first, but there is now a seamless existence among Harden, Leonard, Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

“Obviously he’s creating on the ball, his passing ability, his ability to create for himself and for his teammates. He’s one of the best players in the league,” Rajakovic said of Harden. “And just in combination with Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, they have a team loaded with talent.”

Not so much for the Raptors, though, at least not talent capable of winning against the top teams in the NBA with any consistency right now. They have some intriguing bits and a ton of holes to fill, holes the veteran Clippers exploited all night.

Still without centre Jakob Poeltl and with Jontay Porter limited to four first-half minutes because of an eye injury, the Raptors were woefully small and conceded 64 points in the paint.

“They are big and they are forceful, and they were able to attack the paint and get there,” Rajakovic said. “A lot of those shots were heavily contested shots they were shooting over us. Some of those, we’ve got to tip your hat and move on.”

The Raptors shot poorly from three-point range — six for 29 — and gave up far too many open looks.

But they very much are a work in process, and games like Friday’s should be used as teaching opportunities more than anything else. Until they build some chemistry and get their starting centre Poeltl and starting point guard Immanuel Quickley back from injuries, nights like this are going to be the norm.

Rookie Gradey Dick got some much needed playing time, Jordan Nwora made his Raptors debut with a brief first-half appearance and there will be lessons to take away.

“I think that’s a great challenge, a great opportunity to go over there and play against the best in the world and see where you’re at,” Rajakovic said before the game. “Really compete, make it extra hard on them, try to do everything you can to compete against those guys.”

Scottie Barnes had 23 points, RJ Barrett 22 and the Raptors played the Clippers tough right through the fourth quarter, despite a wide disparity in depth and experience.

“Overall we did a lot of good stuff in that game,” Rajakovic said. “We were able to somewhat slow down their main players. They made a couple of really tough shots. We kept them shooting at 28 per cent from the three-point line.

“We missed nine free throws, and we shot only 18 per cent from the three-point line. If we did a better job there, we would have a lot different outlook on the game.”

Rajakovic is innately familiar with Leonard, having been an assistant coach in San Antonio for Leonard’s rookie season. But even an astute judge of talent like Rajakovic couldn’t have seen this coming.

“It was amazing transformation (from) everything he was able to do in that first season,” the coach said. “He just continues to improve every single year, adding more stuff to his game and obviously one of the best two-way players in the league.”