Kawhi Leonard solves one Raptors problem. Who solves the others?

Sequels aren’t always better than the original, and it’ll be quite hard to top the first time around featuring Kawhi Leonard in Toronto with the Raptors winning their first and only championship. Those Raptors had been to the playoffs for five straight years and had a deep veteran roster entering Leonard’s arrival in 2018-19. These Raptors have a young group that has been to the playoffs once.

The goal remains the same, though: win a championship. And Leonard certainly helps better position the Raptors to do that by solving a clear area of need. In the first round of the playoffs last year, the Raptors shot just 34.5% out of pick-and-rolls and 32.4% using isolations. Both of those numbers ranked nearly the worst of all playoff teams, per Synergy Sports. The Raptors weren’t any better during the regular season either.

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Seven years removed from the four-bouncer in Philadelphia and the Finals MVP performance against Golden State, Leonard is still an elite scorer even at age 35. Since he left Toronto in 2019, Kawhi ranks first in the NBA in isolation scoring efficiency during the playoffs. Of course, Leonard made it to the finish line for the Clippers in only three of those seven seasons. But when he does play, his team always has a chance to win. That’s why Toronto paid so much to get him — Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected firsts, one first-round swap and two seconds — and extended him for two years and $115 million.

(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

And nobody could benefit more than Scottie Barnes, who now has a co-star by his side who can complement all his greatest strengths. Barnes can still run the show, but he can also screen for Kawhi, crash the boards or cut away from the ball. Part of what makes Barnes such a special player is his ability to impact different dimensions of the game, and Leonard’s presence will allow him to do so much more of everything without having to always focus on scoring.

Leonard addresses Toronto’s biggest offensive need without requiring the team to abandon what made it so competitive last season. The Raptors were fifth in the NBA in defensive…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/kawhi-leonard-solves-one-raptors-problem-who-solves-the-others-153000091.html

Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2026-10-02 15:30:00

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