Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising, and Serge Ibaka gets a little heated

Kawhi Leonard

I wonder how Kawhi Leonard’s MVP case would look if he hadn’t missed a large portion of games for the Raptors this year. It could be a lot different.

Leonard has been a must-see attraction every time he steps foot on the court, with this week being just another chapter in a highly successful season. He averaged 27 points, six rebounds, 2.3 assists and just over one steal per game, in three contests this week. Leonard sat out the first night of a back-to-back against Miami as the Raptors cruised to victory, load management was once again on the agenda.

His night in the Big Easy was something else though, scoring 31 points on a wild 14-20 shooting. Even though he was only 20-percent from three, every other facet of Leonard’s game looked effortless, and at times, flawless.

His next performance, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while not flawless, was still impressive. Even if a little less efficient than his previous outing.

It was his performance against the Los Angeles Lakers that took the plaudits though, if only for one magical moment.

Leonard got ahold of a loose ball with only a few seconds left on the clock, picking up the ball in his own half of the court and driving into open space, he evaded the reaches of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart just in time to lift a three-point shot into the basket as time expired on the first half.

It was a pretty cool moment and it also stretched the Raptors lead to eight points, which proved to be insurmountable.

Moments like that really put into perspective just how good Kawhi Leonard really is, and his presence on this team could really send them onto another level. Who knows.

Hey, he might even stay. He was on “How Hungry Are You” after all.