Toronto Raptors: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season

2. What is Toronto’s ceiling?

In essentially swapping DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, there’s no question Toronto has upgraded a roster that was first in the east last season with 59 wins.

For all the criticism he took last season, Leonard is still one of the best players in the game, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who averaged a career-high 25.5 points in 2016-17.

Let’s also not forget about another part of that trade, Danny Green. A career 39.5 percent 3-point shooter, he spaces the court and does a fantastic defensive job against guards.

Throw in the addition of Greg Monroe and the internal improvement of guys like OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet and the Raptors should be looked at more seriously as a possible contender.

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers appear to be the cream of the crop out East, but Toronto went a combined 5-3 against those two teams last season; a small sample size sure, but a potential indicator of just how good this team can be with its new additions.

With such big changes comes a learning curve and that may prove bumpy at times, but given what they accomplished last season coupled with moves made over the summer and it’ll be interesting to see just how far these Raptors can go.