Kawhi Leonard 2018: Can Raptors Win Against Golden State Warriors Without Ex-Spurs Superstar?

Kawhi Leonard recently missed his sixth game of the season as the Raptors opted to sit the two-time Defensive Player of the Year as they’re careful not to overplay him. But even though Leonard was out, the Raptors still walked away with the win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Once again, the versatility of the Raptors played a significant part in winning the game behind Kyle Lowry’s triple-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 17 assists. Coming up behind him is Jonas Valanciunas and Pascal Siakam with 24 points and 22 points respectively. So far, the Raptors have proven that they aren’t heavily reliant to the presence of Kawhi Leonard.

And when the ex-Spurs superstar is playing for the team on the court, the threat of the Raptors significantly increases. Right now, the team has the best record on all conferences as they’re standing at 15-4. Although Kawhi Leonard does have a lot to do with this stellar record, it’s the overall chemistry of the Raptors that is providing them the strength overcome a team on a given night.

Indeed, the latest game between the Raptors and the Hawks saw that even without Kawhi Leonard, other players are stepping up to the plate to cover the hole. The recently concluded match saw five Raptors scoring double figures attesting to the superb ball movement being employed by coach Nick Nurse.

And since the team is winning matches left and right, fans and analysts alike are questioning whether or not Kawhi Leonard will commit to the Raptors. It was heavily speculated before that Leonard will be taking his talents to either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Now, however, the narrative has shifted. It also doesn’t help that Kawhi Leonard is being reticent about this matter. Of course, he’s always been like that even before his career blew up. Serge Ibaka even said that one of his nicknames is Deadly Zombie, an allusion to Leonard’s quiet demeanor and dominance on the court.

This isn’t to say that the Raptors doesn’t need Kawhi Leonard if they managed to stand toe-to-toe against the Golden State Warriors. The team will still need his talents when that fateful day comes as Leonard is a spectacular player on both ends of the floor. This is especially true since the starting line-up of the Warriors alone is enough to challenge any NBA team. However, the Warriors are suffering a losing streak right now as Stephen Curry remains sidelined following his injury.