Toronto Raptors show Kawhi Leonard they can still compete without him

Playing against  Kawhi Leonard for the first time this season, the Toronto Raptors almost came away with a win despite having a depleted roster.

If you were a Toronto Raptors fan watching the team take on Kawhi Leonard on the second half of a back-to-back and almost come away with the win, you had to be impressed.

Already without Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the Raptors were dealt another tough blow with OG Anunoby leaving the game after getting poked in the eye. Not only did Toronto lose their best defender, but they also had to rely on other players to take on tougher minutes.

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There wasn’t as much doubt considering what happened against the Los Angeles Lakers the night before where the bench had a breakout performance. They didn’t disappoint despite the team coming up short in the fourth quarter.

Credit Nick Nurse for having a game plan to limit Kawhi’s impact as he only had 12 points in the game using Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at times to help pick up the slack defensively.

Unfortunately, Leonard found a way to get things going in the fourth quarter but for the most part, he was ineffective which garnered a lot of praise from Nurse.

"“Our guys played their guts out, we totally outplayed them, I thought,” Nurse told reporters after the game. “We were playing harder, we were executing better, we were creating a lot of problems for them, just not quite enough.”"

There haven’t been many moments this season the Raptors haven’t had any letdown performances except for the loss to the Boston Celtics. Instead, they continue to show why they are able to perform without Leonard.

What’s important is that the team was pleased with their effort but still disappointed that they didn’t come away with the win as Fred VanVleet explained to reporters after the game.

At a time where Pascal Siakam was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and showing why he was given a max contract, it’s great to see that there isn’t this feeling that people are hung up on Kawhi.

Seeing the Raptors sitting third in the Eastern Conference should continue to show why it was premature to suggest the team wasn’t going to be that competitive. Sure, they would like to have Leonard on the team but aren’t worse off because of it.

What did you make of the Raptors play against the Clippers? Should they be impressed with their play considering the injuries they have? Let us know in the comments below.