5 reasons the Toronto Raptors may actually be better without Kawhi Leonard

5. They’re playing harder, more consistently

The Toronto Raptors’ effort last season was hit or miss. I think it was difficult to know how they were going to play as a team on any given night because you didn’t know if Kawhi was going to be playing or not.

This season there is none of that. Guys are playing hard every night regardless of who is in the lineup. Guys like Chris Boucher, Matt Thomas and especially Terence Davis have been playing significant minutes due to injuries and have played hard for every minute they get.

While the Raptors effort level was high last year too, they have just simply taken it to another level this season, especially in terms of its consistency. According to NBA.com, Last season the Raptors averaged 15.3 deflections per game, 9.0 loose ball recoveries per game and drew 0.65 charges per game.

This season, however, they are up to 17.3 deflections per game and 0.84 drawn charges per game. Although they are down to only 8.2 loose ball recoveries per game, this could be due to the Raptors being less careless with the ball.

The effort level of this team is set by the leaders of the team. When Kawhi was the leader guys weren’t exerting maximum effort on the court because Kawhi wasn’t putting full effort due to his load management. Now with Lowry and Siakam as the leaders of this team, they are showing everybody that playing hard every night is the best recipe for putting together a potential 60-win season.