Kawhi Leonard's second Raptors stint can be just as special if they're allowed to reunite
In 2019, a promising Toronto Raptors team, once appropriately labeled “LeBronto,” couldn’t get over the hump.
They signed the all-worldly Kawhi Leonard and became a bona fide (but understated) heavyweight in the Eastern Conference. Eventually, they parlayed Leonard’s addition into the franchise’s first-ever NBA title the very next summer. Considering the Raptors’ previous also-ran status, Leonard’s one-season tenure before jumping to the L.A. Clippers is still one of the league’s more fascinating storybook endings in recent memory.
Make no mistake, dearest readers. Should Leonard be allowed to reunite with the Raptors in the coming weeks after their pending blockbuster trade — that is, barring an unfortunate resolution from the NBA’s investigation into possible salary cap circumvention by him and the L.A. Clippers — then he and the new version of the Raptors are very capable of writing a similar story.
STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS:The NBA’s investigation keeps Leonard, the Raptors, and the Clippers in limbo
By that I mean, the Raptors would be a real NBA Finals contender. Full stop. Yes, even in an Eastern Conference featuring the reigning champion New York Knicks, LeBron James’ new-look Philadelphia 76ers, the ever-steady Boston Celtics, the resurgent Indiana Pacers led by the return of Tyrese Haliburton, and the upstart Detroit Pistons. Invoke the Raptors in this same lofty conversation and don’t look back. Trust me.
If anything, presuming health and availability are solid for everyone involved (ahem), I think I kind of like the Raptors with Leonard more than most of the teams mentioned above. Is that crazy? Am I deluded to think a 35-year-old Leonard can more or less make the same impact, albeit in a slightly different role more rooted in scoring? Because I think he can! These Raptors wouldn’t make the biggest headlines. They certainly wouldn’t get the same attention in a conference featuring the New York, Philadelphia, and Boston media markets all thriving.
Let’s not kid ourselves there.
But the roster quality they would have would be on par with what you expect out of an NBA team playing in mid-June. That much I’m sure of.
Examine the tale of the tape here, and it’s hard to gloss over the Raptors’ potential. This is a young and hungry team built the right way. For one, Leonard entering the fold for Toronto would allow one of the game’s premier bucket-getters to focus on what he does best while Scottie Barnes, who is, for my money, perhaps the NBA’s best two-way wing, would have free rein to quarterback a Raptors defense anchored by the ascending Collin Murray-Boyles. Jamal Shead is a solid point-of-attack defender on the rise. I also love R.J. Barrett as a healthier third or fourth scoring option. And Immanuel Quickley feels like the kind of ideal microwave shooter to place alongside a long and athletic Toronto frontcourt.
My only real quibble with Leonard and the new-fangled Raptors would be a lack of consistent shooting depth. The only guy on the roster who has proven he can shoot well from behind the arc at a high volume so far is Quickley. That sort of set-up could be a death sentence in the Eastern Conference playoffs when the court shrinks on the offensive end. At the same time, as the NBA at large shifts back toward physicality and aggressive defense as a primary style of play, I find it hard to envision the Leonard-Barnes Raptors doing anything but funneling top-flight offenses through a paper shredder. They would be tailor-made to bully the opposition, particularly for anyone who comes with a more finesse approach. That lack of shooting matters less now.
A massive strength outweighs an Achilles heel, in this case.
In my mind, the Raptors’ vision for Barnes and Leonard is a sterling one that could again result in ultimate glory. We’ll have to see whether the NBA allows them to come back together. Or, whether the Raptors will even want to follow through on their ambitious plans when the dust of an extended investigation finally settles.
The fate of another potentially exhilarating chapter for the Raptors hangs in the balance.
Shootaround
- RIP Don Nelson, a basketball lifer and one of the most important, most influential NBA coaches ever.
- A Euroleague owner thinks his team has a real shot at Nikola Jokić next summer, which, uh … no.
- Victor Wembanyama is, somehow, no longer the NBA’s tallest player. Jeff Smith has more.
- Speaking of the Spurs, they still believe in De’Aaron Fox after that brutal NBA Finals performance.
This was Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kawhi Leonard’s second Raptors stint can be just as special if they’re allowed to reunite
