Uh-oh, Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors look pretty good


While the Boston Celtics are figuring out their offense with the new addition of Gordon Hayward and the return of Kyrie Irving, the Toronto Raptors have looked dangerous. They have won all of their first five games, the best record in the entire league up to this point.

While it is certainly a small sample size, it looks as though Boston may find some serious competition in the eastern conference. The Raptors have even gone through the Celts during their early run, winning their first matchup 113-101 on October 19.

They beat a red-hot Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets by 21 points. Four of their last five games have been against teams that made the playoffs last season.

In addition to the Raptors' early success, Kawhi Leonard looks as good as ever in red. Through his first five games back from injury, discounting the game he missed because of rest, Leonard has averaged 28 points per game while shooting 51.2% from the field, and a remarkable 47.4% from three-point territory.


Kawhi is also not the only player contributing to Toronto's current win streak. Kyle Lowry is averaging double digit assists in addition to 19.8 points per game while shooting over 50% from both the field and three-point land. Jonas Valanciunas has averaged his usual statistics, and Danny Green is looking back to form after a lackluster 2017-18 season.

As the season progresses we'll watch these teams get closer and closer in terms of production and wins, and we get three more match-ups before the playoffs begin. The C's should certainly keep their eye out for this revamped Toronto team, hungry for the eastern conference title and a chance at the ultimate crown after years of playoff disappointment.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, it looks like Kawhi hasn't slowed down a bit on defense:

Data: basketball-reference.com
Video: Reddit User Kamoner
Photo: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star
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