Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising/falling after week one

Toronto Raptors - Nick Nurse (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Nick Nurse (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors – Kawhi Leonard (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors are off to a hot start as a team, but how are they playing individually? We take a look at a couple of players with Stock up, Stock Down

The Toronto Raptors are off to a franchise-best 5-0 start to the season, following Wednesday night’s victory against Minnesota. We’ll take a step back from all the commotion and look at whose stock rose and whose stock fell in the first five games of the season.

First of all, welcome to the first edition of Stock Up/Stock Down. This is a weekly column looking back across the games in the past week of  Toronto Raptors basketball and – like the name suggests – taking stock of who has been performing well and who might have slipped up during the course of the week.

The Raptors flew out to a perfect 5-0 start to the season with wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The start to this season may not be a one-hundred percent true reflection of this team – but it’s a pretty clear indicator for anyone who wants to take note. Toronto is a legitimate contender, that much is obvious.

Kawhi Leonard proved that he has little to no rust while Kyle Lowry keeps ticking along at an elite level. Will Jonas Valanciunas’ impressive bench performances make the cut? What about the limited action for Delon Wright?

Who stood out above the rest and who has struggled? Let’s find out.