Analyzing Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors: Are They Finally Contenders?

It's a fair question to ask: with the addition of Kawhi Leonard, are the Toronto Raptors good enough this season to be finally considered contenders for the NBA Championship?

The moment Leonard was added to the Raptors roster there were many insiders that viewed Toronto as a much-improved team — at least for this season. It's highly possible Leonard doesn't stick around past the 2018-19 campaign and if that's the case, Toronto needs to make the most of his arrival and what could be the lone season he spends as a Raptor. Basically, most believe, if Leonard doesn't stay, the Raptors need to win and they need to win now.

So, are they good enough?

With a healthy Leonard, the Raptors removed a strong player for a top-five NBA talent. Do they have the pieces surrounding him to do more than be the best team in the NBA's Eastern Conference and make a postseason run?

Addition By Subtraction

As much as Demar DeRozan was the franchise face in Toronto, Leonard is a better all-around player. The opponent's ability to isolate DeRozan on defense was a gamechanger during the playoffs. And, as hard as he tried, DeRozan is simply not as good a defender as Leonard is.

With a DeRozan-led Raptors team forced to go with isolation moves – both on offense and defense, it wasn't hard to shut down the group as a whole. With Leonard, their defense is largely improved. That the roster let Lucas "Bebê" Nogueira become a free agent, only speaks to how much stronger the Raptors think their defense will be.

Subtraction By Subtraction

One of the aspects that often goes unnoticed is the inclusion of Jakob Poeltl in the Leonard/DeRozan trade. Poeltl was smart, played hard and within himself and shot an astounding percentage. He will be missed and there’s a lot to like about the 23-year-old center.

Perhaps Poeltl is not an athletic freak of nature but he can defend, he's light on his feet and knows where to position himself on the court. He's not flashy but he is effective and understands playing a system — something that will work well in San Antonio. The Raptors might not realize how much they miss him until he starts producing with the Spurs.

Addition By Growth

This may not be a popular opinion but the Raptors were bound to be a good team with or without Leonard. They have a strong nucleus of young players who can grow, including Pascal Siakam and Delon Wright who can and likely will be effective producers for the organization. Fred VanVleet, we can assume, will continue to be strong and OG Anunoby showed what he could do defensively during the playoffs – determined on D and able to hit 3-point shots.

In an NBA where super teams seem to get all the attention, the Raptors could have surprised in a year or two. If these youngsters can progress alongside Leonard and Kyle Lowry, Toronto has weapons people won't necessarily see coming.

The offense will also ask players like Danny Green and CJ Miles to produce from the 3-point line. They should be able to do so.

What Leonard Brings With Him

Kawhi Leonard won't just be motivated to produce in a contract year, he'll improve the play of others around him. He opens up the floor for Jonas Valanciunas – who is a better player than people think and with new coach Nick Nurse taking a liking to Valanciunas, his contributions shouldn't be underestimated.

So too, Serge Ibaka – who can play both offense and defense – might have a better opportunity to produce more in limited minutes. That's not a certainty however as his playing time has gone down in each of the last two seasons, as have his numbers.

One of the most important questions that will be answered as the season rolls along is how Lowry and Leonard connect. Will they find the kind of chemistry needed to be a championship ball club and in their own way represent the Raptors version of "the big two"? Sometimes as good duo is as effective as a good trio.

The Verdict

So to answer the question, are the Raptors good enough or can DeRozan out and Leonard in equate to a winning formula?: Yes. That said, a lot of things have to go right for it be to this season.

Certainly, the team will be a contender in the East, but the young players, team chemistry, and improved defense need to be firing on all cylinders to beat a team like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets.

As an aside, this is likely Kyle Lowry’s last year with the Raptors. What he brings is just pure desire and that might be enough when combined with Kawhi to shock the NBA world. And, in seasons after this next one, that responsibility may move to a player like Fred VanVleet.

Maybe the question isn't, are the Raptors good enough this season, but, if Leonard stays, are they good enough beyond this season?

NEXT: KYLE LOWRY WILL NOT SPEAK ABOUT DEROZAN TRADE