Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard dominates as Player of the Week

Every Sunday we bring you the Toronto Raptors player of the week. This week belongs to Kawhi Leonard, who has been impressive during the last two games.

Thanks to scheduling the Toronto Raptors have had a pair of very light weeks leading into the final stretch, giving the team a little time to rest and relax. And the rest has clearly proven beneficially after having faced two of their toughest opponent left on the schedule. With both the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trailblazers coming to town the Raptors needed to be ready.

The Raptors managed to grab hold of both games thanks to the stellar play of superstar Kawhi Leonard. His most noticeable moment of the week came against the Trailblazers as he set them ablaze during a heroic fourth-quarter performance and the capped it with a beautiful game-winner.

Kawhi Leonard’s week

A tough loss against the Orlando Magic seemed to reinvigorate the spirits of the Raptors’ players, leading to a quick turn-around game against the Celtics.

Coming into the year the Celtics were regarded as the East standard, the team to be feared thanks to their combination of young and proven NBA veterans, but thanks to a variety of issues the Celtics currently find themselves at as the lowly fifth seed.

Pundits figured the issues would have resolved themselves by now, but the Raptors blew the doors wide off that theory with their dominant performance over the Celtics on Tuesday. Two teams, completely opposites based on current performances, facing off against each other. Unfortunately, the Celtics were only able to hang around during the first quarter, being quickly brushed aside after being demolished 36-13 in the second quarter.

While some of the Celtics off play can be attributed to their lack of cohesion, credit should be given to the Raptors for their stellar play on either end of the court. Spearheaded by Leonard and his 21 points, four assists and six rebounds the Raptors put up a dominant performance that the Celtics won’t soon forget.

Friday’s affair was a much closer game, coming all the way down to the wire only for the Raptors to be lifted up by Leonard’s game-winning bucket. But, that was just the perfect bow on top of a dominant performance by Leonard, he scored 38 points while dishing five assists and grabbing three steals. In such a classic superstar fashion, Leonard didn’t really take off till the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his points during the last quarter.

Portland is a very solid team and this and the Celtics win should be big momentum boosters for the Raptors as they find their last gear coming into the playoffs.

Who missed the cut?

Both Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol were sneaky candidates for ‘player of the week’ this week. Both having had wonderful performances this week, showing the true value in playmaking by setting up countless teammates with great opportunities. Gasol also looks like he’s found his place in Toronto, as he dished 8 assists during the Celtics game and 6 during the Trailblazers.

Another honorable mention for the week is the always stunning Pascal Siakam who, as per expected, delivered another pair of great performances. It’s obvious that Siakam has been a force for the Raptors, so seeing him still constantly perform this late in the season is a great sign.

Make sure to check out the Raptors Player of the Week every Sunday at RaptorsRapture.com