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Raptors will still have to lean on familiar strength if Kawhi Leonard trade works out

The Raptors need to lean on their defense.
ByElaine Blum|
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Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the trade for Kawhi Leonard goes through as planned, the Raptors have what they lacked last season: a superstar scorer and closer to ease the do-it-all burden on Scottie Barnes’s shoulders. However, they will also have to figure out a few things, mainly how to deal with any games Leonard misses. Leonard is 35 with an extensive injury history. Load management is just part of the experience with him. On top of that, he may have to serve a suspension. 

So, how can the Raptors ensure that they still win enough regular-season games to ideally enter the playoffs with homecourt advantage and a favorable matchup waiting for them? Scottie Barnes is one answer. He will have to be as aggressive and forceful on offense as he was in the playoffs. More than anything, however, the Raptors will have to lean on the same defensive identity that carried them to 46 regular-season wins last season. 

The Raptors can still be great defensively when Leonard is out

Leonard will add to the Raptors’ defensive tenacity, but he doesn’t make or break the success on that end of the floor as much as he does on offense. With Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter still on the roster, the Raptors have all of their best defenders from last season’s team. They can play some truly scary lineups with Leonard in the mix, but they don’t need him to be a good defensive team, and that will be key to their success without him. 

Leonard averaged almost 30 points per game last season. That’s not the kind of production you replace easily, especially not with a team that was pretty offensively challenged last season and needs Leonard for that specific reason. So, the Raptors will have to lean on what worked for them last season whenever Leonard is out: play tough defense, force a ton of turnovers and bad shots, and feast in transition. 

The one offensive stat the Raptors crushed last season was fast-break points. They led the league with 18.9 fast-break points per game. They also ranked second in opponent turnovers per game. Those are things that can also work for a rotation of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Jamal Shead, with some Allen Graves and Kyle Anderson minutes thrown in, when Leonard isn’t available. 

If they can play stifling defense and limit opponents’ offensive output, Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley, as the main scorers and creators, won’t have to generate too much offense to outscore other teams. 

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