What the U.S. Media is Saying about the Toronto Raptors Including Kawhi’s Chances of Re-Signing

Wonder what the U.S. Media is saying about the Toronto Raptors? We’ve compiled some of the best stories from the past week to examine how the Raptors are being talked about.

The Toronto Raptors sit atop the NBA standings and with that comes much press from south of the border. This week was no exception with nearly all of the major outlets commenting on the Raps success so far.

Three player focused articles made our list this week – one on Canadian Jamal Murray, another on Kyle Lowry and the incredible season (up until recently) he’s had so far, and the last on Pascal Siakam‘s journey to the Toronto Raptors.

National media outlets are all over the Raptors, publishing pieces on everything from Kawhi’s chances at winning the MVP to his chances at re-signing with Toronto. And of course, a couple of interviews that Kyle Lowry and Masai Ujiri gave created a little commotion.

We’ve also got the most recent Power Rankings where the Raptors have stayed at or near the top at both SI and ESPN.

Local

The Denver Post takes a close look at Jamal Murray who is, in my opinion, the best Canadian in the NBA today, and who is also quickly emerging as everyone’s favourite villain.

"“It’s kind of weird because they call Canadians soft, and they always harp on that, and then now they call me evil,” Murray said."

Whether you buy into the Murray narrative of best Canadian or even best villain, you’ve got to agree that he’s got one hell of a ceiling as a player. And if he continues to show his skills and a commitment to the Canadian national program, he will certainly be one of Canada’s favourite ballers.

The Philadelphia Inquirer turned the spotlight on North Philly native this past week, praising the strong start to the season Kyle Lowry had with the Raps. Lowry’s attempts are down so far this season as are his PPG but he’s getting his teammates involved at a high level, something that might be more important to a team trying to integrate two new, key pieces after the trade this off-season. The former Villanova star leads the NBA in assists with an average of 10.3, nearly two assists more than Jrue Holiday.

National

S.I. takes an early look at the M.V.P. race questioning whether Kawhi Leonard is a serious candidate. While they do feel he has helped the Raptors to exceed expectations, they’re skeptical of him actually winning, calling him “…praiseworthy but not exciting enough.”

The Starters also debate the merit of Kawhi as an MVP candidate. Clearly, his numbers justify him being at or near the top of the list as a legitimate candidate. But will the games he sits out cost him?

ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan revises a May 2018 story on Pascal Siakam’s 6000 Mike Journey To Raptor’s Stardom.

MacMullan, in a broad, yet wonderfully written piece on the kid from Cameroon describes the incredible journey of Siakam from a soccer-crazed kid to becoming a focal point on the best team in the NBA.

"Indeed, how Siakam landed alongside basketball lifers Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard is the leagues most improbable story, one that encompasses perseverance, insubordination, an astounding NBA coincidence, family heartache-even murder."

The Ringer has been impressed with Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors recently. Not necessarily because of the victory they posted against the Sixers on Wednesday but rather because they have a truly elite, top 5 player and a deep roster that is capable of matching up against anyone in the conference. In The Raptors are Elite – and They’re Not Even at Their Best, The Ringer contends

"“…they may be a cut above even the biggest challengers in the conference—and that they still might not have hit their ceiling.”"

ESPN was in Toronto for both The Giants of Africa – Mandela 100 gala on Tuesday and the Sixers game on Wednesday and had an abundance of content that focused on your Toronto Raptors.

Rachel Nichols’  interview of Kyle Lowry may have opened some old wounds for Raptor fans, as they discussed the DeRozan trade and delved into how Lowry and Kawhi are ‘gelling’ on and off the court. When asked about his relationship with President Masai Ujiri, Lowry responded, “….he’s the President of Basketball Operations. That’s it.”

Ujiri was also interviewed by the network and shared his own perspective on the Lowry situation claiming there’s no acrimony between the two.

"“It’s been like that with Kyle since I came here,” Ujiri said of their neutral but professional relationship. “We’ve never — we don’t have a confrontation. We don’t — I’ve never done anything wrong to him. It’s just this kind of decision-making that we have to go through. And I know how Kyle is, so honestly, I love him to death.”"

Media hype? Much fuss about nothing? Time will tell. All we know is, that if the Raptors keep winning none of this matters.

What does matter to many Raptor fans is Kawhi’s future with the Raptors and possibly, more importantly, the viability of Toronto as a destination for desired free agents. Kevin Arnovitz dives into the idea that Kawhi Leonard’s decision this off-season will be The Next Great Test of Toronto’s Place in the NBA. 

Power Rankings

ESPN has shuffled the top of their list with a new number one. The Raptors have dropped to the number two spot, with the three losses and Kyle Lowry’s recent slump playing on their mind.

"Toronto now hits the road for a tough stretch of four games in six nights out west, a slate that includes the Clippers, Golden State, Portland, and Denver."

SI still has faith in the Raptors, despite the three losses this past week, putting them atop their Power Rankings. They show praise for Nick Nurse and Kawhi Leonard and have a faith that Toronto may have just had a blip this past week with their three losses.

"But when you realize the Raptors didn’t lose the fourth quarter in any of those games (they lost overtime to the Nets 8-7 after winning the fourth quarter 19-18), it puts into perspective just how good you need to be to knock them off. Cause they will keep fighting for all 48 minutes."