Even without Kawhi, Raps are real deal
So there’s the scenario with Kawhi Leonard. And the one without. As of right now, both scenarios look pretty darn good for the Raptors, and that, in and of itself, has to be the most pleasant surprise of this NBA season for Masai Ujiri.
Then again, maybe Ujiri isn’t surprised at all.
It’s no surprise, of course, even to those who wondered exactly where Leonard’s game would be after not playing much basketball for the past 18 months, that the veteran has made such a positive impact on the Raps. He’s a legitimate superstar without a hole in his game at either end of the court, and when your best offensive player is also your best defender, well, the effect of such a player on the rest of the team is usually substantial.
That the Raps have been nearly as good with Leonard missing back-to-backs and not playing every game, however, is the surprise. Instead of Leonard leaving a massive hole in the lineup when he’s out, Toronto just sort of morphs into a slightly different version of itself, putting out other fourman units of “3-and-D” players that have made this team almost impossible to defend and difficult to attack in the early days of the season.
When the Raps made the deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio along with Jakob Poeltl to get Leonard, the risk factor from a Toronto standpoint was that while DeRozan had years to go on a long-term contract, Leonard might bolt as a free agent at the end of the season. In other words, the Raptors might only get one season out of him after giving up so much. If they won the championship, sure, it would still be worth it, but trading for a superstar and then watching him walk would deal a devastating blow to the franchise from which it would take years to recover. Well, maybe not. Just like MLSE’s hockey team, the Maple Leafs, are on the cutting edge of their sport, this season going entirely against the conventional belief that you need at least some muscle to win, so too have the Raptors not only changed their team, but put themselves right there along with all the trends that are changing the NBA.
Without DeRozan, a reluctant three-point shooter, and with Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas now never on the floor together under rookie coach Nick Nurse, there are usually at least three and often four shooters on the floor, creating space galore for the Raptors on the attack. The result is more three-point shots than ever, and substantially increased assist numbers for point guard Kyle Lowry.
There’s just more room out there for Lowry to operate and find shooters, and more shooters to find. And — here’s the best part — all those shooters can defend. Right now, that’s what is making Toronto better than everyone else.
Leonard is one of those shooters, and he’s already scoring more than his career average. That’s good, and assuming he’s healthy by the playoffs, it will be even more important. The Raps will truly have a player they can ride, maybe all the way to the NBA Finals. Jimmy Butler’s move to Philly shifts the power structure in the East yet again, and we’ll see as the season progresses if that pushes the 76ers past the Raptors or if some other club — Milwaukee? — succeeds Cleveland as the best of the conference.
Beyond this season, if Leonard does leave to join the Lakers or whoever, it no longer seems that the Raptors will automatically drop from con- tender to also-ran. What we’re seeing is a team that is about more, much more, than Leonard and Lowry in the same way it was formerly about DeRozan and Lowry.
Pascal Siakam may go down as one of the best late firstround draft picks in recent NBA history. His length, ballhanding ability, passing and fearlessness when it comes to driving the lane are making him one of the NBA’s breakthrough players this season. The numbers of the Ibaka/ Valanciunas combo are superb. Freddie VanVleet, bothered by injury early, might be a starter on other clubs. OG Anunoby is still figuring it out, but he looks like another gem. Danny Green, the player who came with Leonard from the Spurs, is proving to have a far greater impact than most imagined he would. Delon Wright, if he can stay healthy for five minutes, could some day be a starter.
The bottom line is that if Leonard leaves, the Raps will be weakened, but perhaps not by as much as it originally seemed would be the case. In other words, there will apparently be life after Kawhi if he decides he wants to be somewhere else. Toronto’s ability to develop its own players has ensured that.
Of course, the Raps have not only made Leonard the focal point of the team, they’ve also surrounded him with enough high-level talent he might decide there’s no better place to be and will re-sign.
Either way, with or without him, Toronto will continue to be at worst a good team, and a team built to succeed in the way the NBA is evolving.
In terms of this season, the Raps still need to rebound better, shoot the three more efficiently and create more free throw opportunities. Given how much the Leonard trade and the hiring of Nurse altered the Raptors, it shouldn’t be unexpected there are multiple areas that need cleaning up.
Still, the season has started remarkably well. Moreover, the Toronto organization seems to have matured to the point the future won’t revolve solely around whether one player decides to stay or go.