Two things happened this offseason that change the landscape of the NBA, more so the Eastern Conference. LeBron James left Cleveland for L.A and the Toronto Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. This cements Toronto as the elite team in the East, and here’s why..
The 2017-18 season was the Toronto Raptors’ finest ever. They won a franchise-record 59 games and finishing as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. The core of this team has remained essentially the same. Fred VanVleet was re-signed to a 2-year $18m deal after his terrific season which saw him finish third in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. OG Anunoby had a memorable rookie season and the Bench Mob became one of the feel-good stories of the NBA season.
The trade of DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl to San Antonio will impact the Raptors. However, the Raptors acquired the best two-way player in the NBA today, Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has the ability to lock down anyone on the court with his defensive acumen. He is also a number one scoring option on any team.
In short, he instantly raises the ceiling of this team. Having a true MVP-calibre talent on your team can have the knock-on effect of raising the game of everyone around you. And assuming that everyone plays to the level of last season, which isn’t out of the question, it could be a great season for the Raptors.
The trade also saw Danny Green make the move north too. Green is a superb perimeter defender and a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He adds some depth in two departments the Raptors sorely needed to upgrade this season. Again, he makes this team a little bit better.
The Raptors now have a flock of wing players capable of defending multiple positions as well as shooting beyond the arc, following the current trajectory in which the NBA is heading. The Raptors needed a real influx of shooting talent and have picked out two of the best choices possible, and alongside other great shooters like C.J Miles, Kyle Lowry and FVV. The Raptors keep everything that makes them great and then add some of the things that can make them even better, how can that not be seen as a major improvement?
Go big or go small – we handle them all
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NBA rosters are becoming more versatile, and often stress small-ball lineups. The Raptors now have the distinction of being able to field some of the most exhilarating units in the entire league. A line-up of Kyle/Green/Kawhi/OG/Siakam on paper has the potential to rival any small-ball unit in the NBA.
This sort of potential is what could well give them the edge this season. I’m well aware of how devastating Boston can be. Their uber-switchy, defense first line-ups still give me nightmares every time I watch them on League Pass. And they still are yet to have more than a glimpse of Gordon Hayward in a Celtics jersey. That could also be a game-changer, or it could cause some growing pains. Fitting Hayward into the rotation without taking away significant minutes from Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown might prove easy, but it could take some getting used to. Tatum could also find himself with a case of Second Season Syndrome. That could also be said for OG, but his offensive duties aren’t as impactful as Tatum’s.
The edge is having a two-time Defensive Player of the Year anchoring your line-up. Kawhi Leonard is an All-World talent and therefore raises the potential and expectations of the team around him. Toronto has all of the pieces to make a real run at the Eastern Conference this year. Everything just needs to fall into place.