From DeMar to Kawhi
Moving on with a new look Raptors squad
Since Chris Bosh left the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2010, there had been no major departures from the roster. Plenty of glue guys, like Amir Johnson, left for money that they had earned but the team could not offer, but no major players moved on. By and large, the team kept its core year after year, adding depth around them and building up to the eastern contenders we have seen emerge in the last four seasons.
On the eve of the 2018–19 NBA season tip-off, I find myself reflecting on the biggest offseason the Raptors have had since that summer of 2010. An offseason that saw the most decorated Raptor of all-time be shipped away into the night and just like that, the team’s identity was completely transformed.
It’s taken me a lot of time to get over DeMar DeRozan being traded away to the San Antonio Spurs. Post-Bosh, he became the iconic Raptor and was a major figure in the franchise’s best run of success. When it’s all said and done, his number 10 will hang in the rafters of the ACC (I refuse to accept the new name, it doesn’t sound right). The trade itself was mired in murky circumstances and it certainly sounds like DeRozan was done dirty by management. There were a lot of raw emotions for me, as a fan of the player and what he meant for the team.
Still, time helps to heal all wounds and the addition of potential MVP candidate doesn’t hurt either. As the summer went on, it started to sink in that Kawhi Leonard was somehow a Toronto Raptor. Granted, there are no guarantees past this season. The word is still that Leonard has eyes for California and that once he is a free agent, he will get himself there. No matter. We have a season to convince him otherwise and there is no better time than now.
It will take time for Leonard to gel with the team’s remaining core players. Doubly so because Leonard spent most of last season on the mend, in a weird injury saga that soured many Spurs fans on the 2014 NBA Finals MVP. The fact remains that once Leonard shakes off the rust, he will instantly become the most talented player to ever throw on a Raptors uniform.
We can love DeRozan as fans all we want, he had undeniable flaws as a basketball player. Defensively, DeRozan was at best mediocre and at worst, a sieve. Exchanging him for a player who has a defensive player of the year award will do wonders for the team’s ability to prevent buckets as a collective. Leonard is a fearsome wing defender and his commitment to that end has been drilled into him by the Spurs coaching staff.
The other area on the court where DeRozan struggled most was as an outside shooter. DeRozan worked on improving this part of his game and it showed last season. He made more three pointers than ever before and for a while, seemed like he might become a legitimate threat from downtown. Then he cooled off, defenders could slack off him once again, and scoring became a lot harder for everyone on the court with him.
There is no such problem with Kawhi, a 38% shooter from three-point range. Discounting the nine games Leonard played last season, his worst year shooting from three was 35% which is still better than DeRozan’s best year of three-point shooting at 34% on smaller volume. Having somebody who can hit those long shots as the team’s primary offensive option is going to give the Raptors a new look they could never truly explore with DeRozan.
Outside of the on-court talents, there was also questions about the intangibles. People get tired of regular season success if it doesn’t lead anywhere in the postseason. Outside of 2016, when they barely beat two average teams and took two games from the eventual champions, the Raptors under DeRozan have consistently under-delivered in the playoffs.
As for DeRozan in the playoffs, many have argued that the problems started with him. It’s no secret that playoff basketball is a different beast. Defenses are much more committed to stopping you on a play-by-play basis. Everything tightens up in the paint and there is far less room to breathe. It’s imperative to be capable of breaking the game open with the long-distance shots, something DeRozan never could do in the playoffs.
Fair or not, DeRozan was labelled a choker and his numbers don’t help to disprove the mantle. He deserves every single ounce of credit he’s received for improving his game season to season. The player we’ve watched over the last half decade looks nothing like the player DeRozan came into the league being. It’s clear that he put in the time to transform himself into an elite player. There are just some limitations that can’t be pushed through and unfortunately for DeRozan, those limitations simply were not conducive to the long-term success of the franchise.
Comparatively, Leonard is battle-tested in the playoffs. He’s seen action in two NBA finals against LeBron James. In one of those duels, Leonard came out on top with the finals MVP trophy to boot. On the NBA’s biggest change, Leonard has been pushed to his limits and he’s delivered. The Raptors know they have someone they can lean on when the stakes are raised. It’s a quality in a player that can’t truly be quantified but it gives teammates and coaches alike some peace of mind.
All of this doesn’t mean I’ve accepted how DeRozan was handled on his way out. I will forever feel like he had earned far more respect than what he was given. I will consider myself a fan of his forever and will follow his season in San Antonio very closely. If he was going to be sent anywhere, playing for the best coach in the NBA isn’t a bad place to be. Greg Popovich, combined with DeRozan’s continued willingness to improve his game, will find another gear in DeRozan. I have no doubts about that. When DeRozan makes his return to Toronto, he will receive the loudest cheer anybody from this franchise will ever receive. All of that is well-earned.
What it does mean is that I am ready to put the past behind. We move forward now with Leonard, for who knows how long. He is one of the best basketball players in the world and he can help us shed the label of playoff chokers. He’s seen what it takes to make it all the way and he’s thrived on the biggest stage in the league. With LeBron finally letting loose his grip on the east by going to LA, the conference is wide open and the Raptors look primed to compete for it.
At the end of the day, that’s an exciting prospect and I am more than ready to get this thing going. First up, beating up on some Cleveland leftovers tomorrow and that’s going to feel pretty good too.
