Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard dominating despite injury-riddled lineup
With the Toronto Raptors missing key starters in their lineup, Kawhi Leonard continues to lead the way while opening up space for his teammates to contribute.
If there were any questions about Kawhi Leonard’s leadership skills, the Toronto Raptors‘ star has silenced them with his performance especially this crucial stretch where the team has had tough injuries to deal with.
After a two-game losing streak, the Raptors have scrapped out two straight wins with Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas and now Danny Green dealing with injuries. Leonard has been a big part of the reason why the top team in the NBA has been able to keep pace but he hasn’t been doing it alone either.
When the Raptors depth is able to step up and provide support for Leonard it makes a big difference. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunby have stepped up the past couple of games taking some pressure off Kawhi as he leads the way.
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This is the biggest difference the Raptors have seen the past couple of seasons as the coaching staff has tried to get the supporting cast to follow the lead of their star players. At the same time, it’s easier to do when a player like Leonard is consistently playing at a level that gives the team a chance to win each night.
A big conversation this week has been the treatment from the officials when it comes to foul calls on Leonard and what people should admire is how he hasn’t let it get to his head. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star wrote about how Leonard’s desire to remain silent rather than complain to the refs is a leading cause of having fewer fouls called.
With a lot of the discussion around Kawhi’s future, it shouldn’t surprise people to see him insert his dominance despite the odd comment about getting “rest days” on back-to-backs. Considering how much the Raptors lean on Leonard and the impact he’s able to have, there shouldn’t be a reason to complain about him sitting on the second half of the back-to-backs which they have a 6-0 record in.
The only concern should finding a three-point contributor off the bench who can score more consistently with C.J. Miles and Anunoby struggling lately to provide that.
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What do you think about Leonard’s play this season? Can he sustain it and continue to carry the Raptors? Let us know in the comments below.