DeMar DeRozan will be facing the Toronto Raptors for the first time since his former team dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs and Raptors will collide at the AT&T Center on Thursday night.

DeRozan made it no secret that he was angry when the Raptors decided to trade him for Kawhi Leonard. But more than six months since the blockbuster trade was consummated, the superstar guard is now looking at the positive side of his unceremonious exit in Toronto.

The 29-year-old superstar believes that the trade to San Antonio was some sort of a blessing in disguise. Based on what he has experienced in his first six months with the franchise, DeRozan is enjoying a high level of professionalism, which he had not experienced before:

“He has never experienced the amount of professionalism from a day-to-day basis from a coach, GM, or organization that he has in his short term in San Antonio,” a source close to DeRozan told Jabari Young of The Athletic.

DeRozan is looking forward to facing the Raptors for the first time. However, it appears the nine-year veteran is not thinking of the emotional side of the matchup too much:

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The former USC standout is having a solid season for the Spurs. He is averaging 22.9 points on top of 6.3 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that his new star was obviously hurt with the trade, but the veteran mentor is convinced that the All-Star guard has already moved on from that chapter of his NBA career:

“There's no doubt he was hurt, and a little bit angry but anybody would be considering all the circumstances,” Popovich said via the Toronto Star. “He got over it the way each of us has to get over whatever might happen in our lives.”

DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs have been rolling, so it should be a good one in San Antonio.