As many as a dozen players could make strong cases they belong on this year’s ballot for Most Improved, but these seven stood out from the pack. The beauty of an award like Most Improved Player is in how wide a net it casts across the NBA. The more glamorous MVP and Rookie of the
Toronto Raptors
LeBron James dominated the Eastern Conference for almost a decade, making eight straight NBA Finals. Here are the five best teams who could never topple The King. When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat a decade ago, he and his new teammates, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh promised five or more NBA titles. They never quite
LeBron James and the Bucks are just two of the biggest unresolved storylines left by the suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season. The NBA season is suspended indefinitely, and with it, every hope, question, and expectation we might have had for it. It’s a cruel twist that one of the more compelling seasons of the
At long last, Norman Powell is living up to his expanded role, his contract and all the potential the Toronto Raptors saw in him nearly three years ago. When Norman Powell received a four-year, $42 million contract extension in 2017, he was coming off a promising second year in the league that put the former
A high-profile battle on Tuesday night highlighted why Pascal Siakam is still a cut below the reigning MVP and how his limitations could hold the Toronto Raptors back in the playoffs. Pascal Siakam is clearly a triumph for the Toronto Raptors organization. He is both a symptom and a cause of the way they play,
The Raptors had an incredible run, culminating in the 2019 NBA championship. Now they’ve added a little extra hardware, sweeping the Best Male Athlete categories at FanSided’s Sports Oscars. It’s fairly easy to recognize the best performers inside of a given sport. League awards are chosen by various mechanisms, arguments ensue, but the answer is
The phrase “out indefinitely” has been in the sports-injury vernacular since time immemorial, though its meaning and use is, at times, purposefully obscure. The definition should be straightforward, but just like with anything in a competition, sometimes things aren’t always as clear as they should be. The phrase “out indefinitely” — along with its kin
The injuries are beginning to mount and NBA teams up and down the standings are looking for fill-in production. Who is being asked to step up? If there is anything that has defined the early portion of the 2019-20 NBA season, it’s injuries. We began the year knowing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson would likely
Kyle Lowry sustained another thumb injury Friday night, but another look at the anatomy of the injury and its potential impact on the Toronto Raptors is necessary this time around. The Toronto Raptors were trailing the New Orleans Pelicans by two with approximately 75 percent of the first quarter under wraps. Pelicans forward Derrick Favors
Pascal Siakam stepping up to fill the Kawhi Leonard void was expected for the Toronto Raptors, but Fred VanVleet looks ready to soak up a larger role as well. When Kawhi Leonard decided to leave the defending NBA champions and return home to Los Angeles, it was only natural to expect Pascal Siakam to assume his mantle
Pascal Siakam earned a four-year max contract extension, so here’s what it means for him, the Toronto Raptors and where his game needs to go next. It was a question of “when” and not “if” the Toronto Raptors would agree to a rookie contract extension with fourth-year forward Pascal Siakam, and the “when” was announced
With the 2019-20 NBA season less than a month away, we’re exploring the most interesting players for each team in the Atlantic Division. We’re now less than a month away from the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. Coming off one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory, it feels like an appropriate time
The Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes are heating up, and the Toronto Raptors are sending in Canada’s biggest asset to recruit him — Drake. The Toronto Raptors are feeling the heat in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, and now, the team may have to send in the country’s biggest asset to convince King Kawhi to stay in Toronto.
Once the dust settled, Kawhi Leonard sent a text to his new teammate Kyle Lowry. “Let’s go out and do something special,” it read. “I know your best friend left, I know you’re mad, but let’s make this thing work out.” On Thursday, Leonard and the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game
After years of hitting the same wall, the Toronto Raptors finally broke through behind the strength of their superstar and balanced collection of co-stars. It’s a novel idea that the Toronto Raptors could be NBA champions, but it shouldn’t be altogether surprising that they arrived here. The Raptors were among the league’s best teams all
Kyle Lowry joined the Raptors in the summer of 2012 without many expectations. He had only started 139 games over his first six seasons with Memphis and Houston, and while perhaps there was some untapped potential there, few could have projected how quickly and how fully he flowered north of the border. Toronto only had
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 high-fives Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors during trophy ceremony after the game during Game Six of the NBA Finals on June 13, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is
When the Raptors received the ball for the final possession in Game 5, with the opportunity to win the series and their first championship in franchise history, I fully expected them to pull it off. This playoff run and been full of serendipitous moments for Toronto, most notably Kawhi’s series-winning four-bounce shot against the 76ers,
The Warriors survived wave after wave of the Raptors offensive surges and extended the Finals one more game. Unfortunately, they lost Kevin Durant again. Toronto was all business after closing out their Game 4 win, hoping to raise the first title in franchise history in front of their home faithful. But it’s not Golden State’s first
Building the damn thing almost always takes longer than ripping it apart. The Toronto Raptors currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors. A dynasty rests precariously in the balance; worlds stacked upon worlds as if they were turtles swimming inside of teacups. The core of this Golden State team first reached the