Despite having a bizarre finish to his career in San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard found a way to tie things up nicely earlier this week, posting a thoughtful message that thanks both the Spurs fans and organization. Regardless of what may have happened this past season, Leonard still won an NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP while a member of the Spurs. His time there should be remembered well both by the fans and organization, so it's great to see that he was able to post the message that he did.
Kawhi Leonard has released a statement, thanking the city of San Antonio and the entire #Spurs organization. These are his first comments since being traded to the #Raptors. #NBA pic.twitter.com/pUAON0fALw— NBA Lord (@nba_lord) August 10, 2018
Looking ahead to his time in Toronto, Leonard has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Regardless of whether or not he decides to re-sign with the Raptors in 2019 or look elsewhere, he will want to have a big year and prove that he's not damaged goods after a strange final year in San Antonio. In the 2016-17 season, Leonard averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game, putting himself in the discussion for best player in the NBA. If he can replicate those type of numbers, he will have certainly erased any doubt about his abilities to still produce at an elite level.
However, producing big numbers isn't the only thing Leonard has to do in order to be a success in Toronto. The real pressure lies in whether or not he can lead the Raptors deep in the playoffs and give them a real shot at winning a championship. The Raptors have had many strong regular season teams, but they've all fallen well short of the ultimate goal. Watching the Raptors choke is becoming an NBA playoffs tradition that we know all too well. We expect them to fail. If Leonard can flip the script and take the Raptors to the NBA Finals, he will have boosted his legacy immensely and made himself a lot of friends north of the border.
In order to get Leonard, the Raptors traded away DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl, and a protected 2019 first round pick to the Spurs. In addition to getting Leonard, the Raptors also got Danny Green back in the deal, giving Leonard at least one familiar face on his new team. Given the limited amount of pieces that moved in this trade, the Raptors essentially have the same pieces around Leonard that they had around DeRozan. No disrespect to DeRozan, but if Leonard is as good as everyone thinks he is, the Raptors should fair much better in the playoffs.
My honest prediction at this juncture is that the Boston Celtics will come out of the Eastern Conference, but if there's one team that they should fear, it is the Raptors. Unlike the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors are led by a guy who knows what it takes to a win championship. Even with all the possible baggage that comes with Kawhi Leonard, one cannot take away his championship and NBA Finals MVP. He's got that under his belt and as a result the Raptors have to go into this season feeling like they have much better odds at winning a championship than ever before.
To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here.
To connect with NBA Lord on Google Plus, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment