Close to rapture
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2019 16:24:37 +0000
The Toronto Raptors have slowly turned into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. It can be argued that they were already a contender last year when they recorded as franchise best regular season (59-23) and were No. 1 in the East. However, their regular season achievements never turned into playoff success. In the past five years alone, they have been swept three times in the playoffs, twice by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. This led to the firing of longtime coach Dwane Casey in May 2018 shortly after he was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
In the offseason, Raptors team president Masai Ujiri finally pushed the button by trading away fan favorite and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. He also promoted assistant coach Nick Nurse to head coach. Ujiri took a big risk in taking Leonard since a quadriceps injury limited the former two-time First Team All-NBA. Leonard will also hit free agency next year as he can opt out of the last year of his current contract. He has not been shy about going back home to Los Angeles.
Despite the risks, the Raptors are confident they can re-sign Leonard. For starters, the Raptors have a very good organization and culture, a strong track record, and a bevy of talent to build around Leonard. The future looks bright for the Raptors with promising young players Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Delon Wright, and Norman Powell. The only thing the Raptors can’t give is warm weather all-year around and home, which Los Angeles can.
Regardless, Leonard looks like an MVP candidate again. While he has been sitting some games due to precautionary measures, he has been averaging 27.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. His points and rebounds are career-highs. Moreover, his stellar play and high basketball IQ have made him fit seamlessly with the new team translating into the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
On many websites and odds projections, the Toronto Raptors are being touted as the team most likely to represent the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors are indeed in a good place. If they are able to convince Leonard to resign with the team, they have the tools to build a championship team around him. By 2020, the contracts of Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas come off the books and the Raptors can get younger superstars. As mentioned, they already have a young core to help with the transition by then.
Third-year player Paul Siakam has been a revelation so far as he is averaging career-bests in every major statistical category and shows a lot of upside. Together with Leonard, they form a formidable defensive that allows the Raptors to switch on every play.
The Raptors can make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. They are very close to rapture.
raffyrledesma@yahoo.com
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