Toronto Raptors: How the Kawhi Leonard trade impacts every player

Delon Wright: Decreases defensive responsibility

To start last season, Delon Wright was the Raptors’ number one perimeter defender. This season he enters as the team’s fourth option. Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, and Danny Green all sit ahead of Wright as defensive options.

On the bench mob last season, Wright was typically the number one defender on the court. With the exception of injuries and junk-time, it’s hard to imagine Wright spending a single minute on the court as the number one defender this season.

No longer playing as the primary perimeter defender should have two major impacts on Wright’s game.

Defensively, Wright will now have the opportunity to play in the passing lanes and free-lance more often on defense. Yes, it’s important for players to keep their defensive principles in every matchup, but when an opponent is less dynamic, player’s can gamble more often.

On the other end of the court, Wright should be more involved than ever before. Less defensive responsibilities will allow to Wright to focus offensively more than he has in previous seasons.

Pascal Siakam: Loses front-court mate

Last season, Pascal Siakam played nearly two-thirds of his minutes with Jakob Poeltl on the court. As a result, the two players developed a chemistry both on and off the court. 

This year Siakam will be playing without his frontcourt mate. The change will certainly be an adjustment.

With Poeltl gone, Siakam will almost certainly spend more time sharing the floor with Serge Ibaka. The two-man combination crushed opponents in their limited opportunities last season.

The Raptors will also likely experiment some with Siakam as a small-ball center.  According to basketball-reference, he spent just one-percent of his time at center last season.

The league is changing and so is Siakam’s skill-set. With Poeltl gone, expect Pascal to player a significant role in the Raptors’ success this season.