Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is up/down, plus Delon Wright on the rise

Kawhi Leonard – Stock Up

At this point, it’s just safe to assume that Kawhi Leonard will be here at this point in the article. He averaged 31.3 points this week, three more performances that will help push him towards M.V.P consideration and two big wins.

Kawhi had the pleasure of only playing twenty-six minutes as the Raptors cruised to victory against the Nets, his twenty points on the night were his lowest points total since he scored the same number of points against Milwaukee on December 9. Leonard shot 9-18 on the night including 40-percent from three. It was another impressive performance and another double-double, he even added four assists in the game. His improvement as a playmaker has been largely understated, but his passing, especially out of the post can be a huge asset for the Raptors moving forward. Leonard attracts a lot of help defense when posting up and attacking the rim, quick reactions can get the ball out to the perimeter or to an open man for the shot.

His night against Washington was one of his best performances of the season, he netted another double-double and had 41 points on 15-29 shooting. Defensively, Leonard was as good as ever, adding three steals and two blocks. There was a moment of worry though, Leonard was dealing with some left leg soreness in overtime, the Raptors organization must have had their collective hearts in their mouths. Leonard was able to recover in time for the big bout against the Celtics, he wasn’t able to help the team overcome defeat though. Kawhi still had a big night and had 33 points on 10-19 shooting, he struggled from three though.

With every passing week, Kawhi is giving us more reasons to love him, while also giving us more reasons to fear he’ll leave. His presence on the court is irreplaceable at this moment in time, and probably in many more moments going forward.

That’s all from me, see you all next week!