Fansided

NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Preseason power rankings

By Ian Levy

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors laugh in the hallway before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors laugh in the hallway before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 29, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the pre-season NBA game at the Bell Centre on October 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 118-91. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the pre-season NBA game at the Bell Centre on October 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 118-91. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Toronto Raptors. 4. team. 81. . . Previous:

There is an argument to be made that the Raptors had the best chance of challenging the Golden State Warriors last season. However, they couldn’t get through LeBron James, their physical and psychological bugaboo and we never really got to see it manifest. On paper, they have everything you’d want to climb to the top spot in these rankings — an MVP-level leader (assuming Kawhi can get back to that level), a secondary creator capable of becoming primary when Kawhi is off (Kyle Lowry), shooting at every position, the depth to sustain a long regular season and the defensive versatility to absorb all sorts of matchups.

We’ve never really had the chance to see what the Raptors ceiling is because LeBron James has always been there throwing plywood on top of them. Kawhi Leonard makes them, theoretically, as good as any non-Warriors team in the league. Now we get to see if they can live up to it.