The Raptors have been stuck in purgatory since Kawhi Leonard left in 2019. They have been okay at times but bad for the majority, and have not made it out of the first round in the last six seasons. Something needed to change, which obviously meant bringing back Kawhi Leonard. Leonard’s age-35 season will be north of the border once again, but with a younger group than his first go-around.
Toronto clearly believes that Leonard’s career-high 27.9 points in 65 games last year is going to be the norm
going forward rather than the outlier. They not only traded first-round picks for him, but extended him for almost $60 million a year. There has been a trend of older guys maintaining a higher level of play recently, so maybe there is some magic left in the tank. But it is a huge risk, and one that could easily backfire if Leonard’s injury history catches up to him again.
Toronto Raptors: Over/Under 46.5 wins (-115/-110)
To win the NBA Finals: +2200
Last Season: 46-36, lost E. Conference first round
Key Additions: Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Anderson
Key Losses: Brandon Ingram
The Raptors, if nothing else, will be fascinating to watch. They have 12 players between six-foot-six and seven feet tall, including four of the five projected starters. They’re big, they like to defend, and they will create matchup problems all over the board. The Mavericks got a first-hand look at this last season when Toronto came out and blitzed the Mavericks almost a year ago. Now insert Kawhi Leonard into an already inspiring young group, and it is easy to see why this team could cause problems in the East.
The biggest question mark with respect to their win total resides in how many games Leonard will play. The Clippers got 65 from him last season, but he hasn’t played 60 games in back-to-back years since 2017. Even without him, the team can hold their own. Collin Murray-Boyles will build on an impressive rookie year, RJ Barrett can score in bunches, and Scottie Barnes will continue to be someone teams hate dealing with. But Kawhi Leonard makes this team go, and betting on him to stay healthy at age 35 is foolish. With the tides rising in the Eastern Conference, it will be hard for the Raptors to eclipse last year’s mark.
