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The Toronto Raptors made a big bet this summer by shooting Kawhi Leonard, a deal that could leave them empty-handed the next season. But for this season, they knew that they would have one of the best players in the league and Leonard already explains why.
The team took a fantastic 7-1 start, with their only loss Monday night against the unbeaten Bucks, while Leonard is not resting. But he was back in play on Tuesday night in the Raptors 129-112 big win over the 76ers. It was a demonstration game for Leonard, who paved the road at both ends and who proved exactly why the Raptors had brought him to town.
He had 31 points on just 19 shots, seven rebounds and four assists. And of course, he was wreaking havoc on the defense, where he managed four interceptions and locked Ben Simmons, helping the Sixers point guard to make a comeback at the top of his 11-game career.
Leonard teamed up with Simmons to start the game and, from the very first board, he will leave no room for the young player. In fact, in the first possession of the game, Leonard simply took the ball to Simmons.
A few possessions later, Leonard read what Simmons was going to do during the quick break and turned his pass for another flight.
(Side note: The defensive strategy used here by the Raptors – using a large wall to isolate Simmons in transition and force him to kick him out, where other defenders wait – is the same as the one with which the Celtics have managed to keep Simmons from staying in the game. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a league trend.)
Both types of pieces will reappear all night. Late in the second half, after turning off Simmons (the Raptors are making a lot of changes), Leonard read his eyes again and jumped into the flying path to steal.
Poor J.J. Redick.
And towards the end of the fourth inning, Leonard put the finishing touches on the game by picking up the ball directly from Simmons.
That was not all Leonard, of course. Simmons committed some offensive fouls and a possession for which he just lost the ball out of bounds while going back for a layup. But the defensive brain of the Raptors set the tone early by forcing two quick turnarounds and frustrated Simmons all night. The young Philly star finished with the wrong type of triple-double in the game, recording 11 points, 10 assists and 11 turnovers.
Leonard's ability to eliminate key opponents from this type of game is why he has already won the defensive player's trophy of the year twice in his career. DeRozan – to acquire it. If he continues to play this way, it may be worth it.
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