The time is near folks; basketball season is almost upon us. If you’re a fan of basketball, and you follow the NBA, then you probably heard about the many changes that happened this summer. One team in particular, the Toronto Raptors, made some big changes over the offseason.
The New Toronto Raptors
They started by firing their head coach, Dwayne Casey. They replaced him with the now former assistant coach, Nick Nurse. This was a fairly good move for the Raptors, because Nick Nurse has built the offense up over the years. The hope is that now with more power, he’ll be able to improve the defense as well, especially considering the Raptors hired FOUR new assistant coaches to fill Nick Nurse’s old spot.
The second change was a trade that no one saw coming, including the players themselves. The Raptors All-Star, DeMar DeRozan, was traded to the San Antonio Spurs over the summer, along with teammate Jakob Poeltl. In return, the Toronto Raptors received the infamous Kawhi Leonard, and shooting guard Danny Green. Fans were initially not happy about the trade. However, once the initial shock of it all settled, many fans began to realize how much of an asset Kawhi Leonard will be.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard was voted the best defensive player in the NBA before his injury in the 2017-2018 season. In addition to that, he is also a fantastic offensive player, considering in the 2016-2017 season he averaged 25 points per game. This puts Toronto in great position to improve their defense. Kawhi’s contract with Toronto is only for one year though, after which he goes into free agency, where he could either stay with Toronto or find a new home. During the only press conference he took part in before preseason started, Kawhi said he was excited about coming to a basketball city like Toronto that has such a strong fanbase. He also made the point that “as long as I have on a jersey I want to play basketball”. Words like these are really reassuring to fans who worried that Kawhi wasn’t interested in coming to Toronto, and wouldn’t play at his best because of it.
“As long as I have on a jersey I want to play basketball”.
Predictions from Preseason
So far, the Toronto Raptors have won 2 out of 3 of the preseason games they’ve played. Kawhi Leonard made his debut as a Raptor in the first game against the Portland Trailblazers. If the starting lineup for that game is any indication of what’s to come for regular season, than the Toronto Raptors are on a pretty good path. Our top five right now include Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valunciunas, Danny Green, and Norman Powell. Valunciunas has been playing exceptionally well this preseason, scoring more points than both Lowry and Leonard in every game. As well, his defensive stats have improved, which is exactly what the team needs to help get to the playoffs.
The Toronto Raptors have set themselves up for an exceptional season. With Lebron James now playing for the Western Conference, the Raptors may easily be the best team in the East. If they continue to improve with their new players, they could definitely be on the road to the NBA Championship Finals.
