Saturday, June 13th, 2019, will forever be remembered as arguably the greatest day in Canadian sports history. On that day, the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA finals and became the first Canadian team to proudly hoist the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy. Soon after, the city of Toronto held a championship parade, and hundreds of thousands of ecstatic Raptors fans flooded the streets for a celebration in Nathan Phillips Square. Sadly, these fans were unaware of the emotional rollercoaster they would soon be on.

On Saturday, July 6th, Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers instead of staying with the Raptors, despite being worshipped across Canada for his heroic playoff efforts. At that moment, countless Canadians abandoned all hope that their team could be champions again. Prior to the start of the 2019-2020 season, the sports channel ESPN predicted the Raptors to finish with 45 wins (out of 82 total games), good enough for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Moreover, many members of the Toronto media, such as former NBA player and coach of the Raptors Sam Mitchell, predicted the team to barely, if at all, squeeze into the playoffs. Fortunately, they were all mistaken.

Prior to the suspension of the 2019-2020 NBA season due to COVID-19, the Raptors had the third best record in the NBA with 46-18, and the team held the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They were on track to finish with a record identical to last season’s, and ESPN named them a top five team in their most recent “Power Rankings” list. How? This is the golden question that fans have surely been asking, but few know the answer to.

Following the departure of Kawhi Leonard, there were no major offseason additions to the roster that directly filled his shoes. When a star player is sidelined in a team sport such as basketball, another player will naturally enter the starting lineup and serve as a replacement. In the case of Toronto, the departure of the superstar was permanent and it required more than just a temporary back-up player. Thankfully, the team has always consisted of players who truly embrace the “next man up” mentality. Every player elevated their game in an effort to fill the seemingly bottomless void left by Leonard. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

First, we start off with Kyle Lowry. For the past several seasons, Lowry has been the unsung hero of his team. As the starting point guard and a six-time all-star, he possesses great talent and his statistical averages always reflect the team’s needs. To compensate for the departure of Leonard, his scoring has increased as he needed to take more shots himself. More importantly, he continues to bring a certain “hustle” to each game, which is never reflected in the box score. It’s no surprise that he leads the league in charges drawn, putting his body on the line in the name of team success.

Next up is Fred VanVleet, also known as “Steady Freddy” for his consistent play. During the NBA finals, he jumped at the opportunity to guard Stephen Curry and he more than delivered. Now the starting shooting guard for the Raptors, VanVleet has seen an increase in all of the major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks). He also hasn’t forgotten to maintain a high defensive intensity, as he ranks in the top five players in the league for both steals and deflections per game. VanVleet’s rise to stardom is a testament to hard work and is perfectly encapsulated by his motto, “Bet On Yourself.” After his name went uncalled in the 2016 Draft, he declined options to play in the development league and bet on himself to make an NBA roster. The result? He earned one of fifteen spots on the Raptors’ roster as an undrafted rookie and both he and the Raptors have never looked back.

OG Anunoby took a backseat to Leonard last year, who shares the same position at small forward. Although he also improved in all major statistical categories, his value to the team comes in the form of defence. As a starter, Anunoby is often given the task to guard the opposing team’s best player, ranging from Lebron James to his former teammate, Kawhi Leonard. Standing at 6’8”, Anunoby weighs in at 232 lb, with an even more impressive wingspan of 7’2”. These Herculean dimensions combined with quick feet and an automatic 3-point shot have made Anunoby the Raptors’ defensive specialist and a valuable offensive asset.

Another player who has elevated their level of play this year is Norman Powell, sometimes called “Stormin’ Norman” in reference to his explosive and high energy play. Similar to VanVleet and Anunoby, Powell has improved across the board, but most notably he doubled his previous year’s points per game. In addition to scoring more, he is shooting 50% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line, both of which are extremely efficient numbers for a shooting guard. Powell began the year with the assigned role of sixth man, but due to team injuries he has started around half of the games he’s played in. In early March, Powell was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Who did he share the award with? Lebron James. Enough said.

Pascal “Spicy P” Siakam has been the closest to assuming Kawhi’s superstar role on the team, albeit with a very different playstyle. This season, Siakam has remained the team’s starting power forward and has also improved his all-around game. More importantly, he has emerged as the team’s number one scoring option, especially in late game situations. To maintain ball movement among the five players on the court at a given time and continue to dominate in transition, Siakam has the ability to score both with and without the basketball in hand. Above all, Spicy P is most well known for dominating near the basket, using his trademark spin move. The 25-year-old added to his already impressive resume this season when he was named a starter for the NBA All-Star Game.

Out of the five players mentioned above, four have experienced increases in all major statistical categories. The repetition of this phrase is truly a testament to these players’ desire to improve in all aspects of the game as part of a winning organization that emphasizes team basketball. However, several other players have also been crucial to the team’s success this year. These include Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Terrence Davis, Rondae-Hollis Jefferson, and Chris Boucher.

Cumulatively, these improvements in individual talent have resulted in a stellar offence. More notably, the Raptors have preserved their identity, which was infused within each of them by Kawhi Leonard, as a defence-first team. That identity has shone through in the numbers as the Toronto Raptors possess the second best defensive rating among all teams in the league, allowing an average of only 104.9 points per game by their opponent. It was their defence that resulted in a win streak of 15 straight games, the longest ever by a Canadian-based team in the NBA, NHL, CFL, or MLB.

While many Canadians thought they could never make it without Kawhi, the Raptors have proved that a team is much more than their star player. Through major individual improvements and an ongoing dedication to team play, the Raptors were a true force to be reckoned with this season. And while no one knows exactly what the NBA will look like when the season resumes or the next one begins, the Raptors may very well still have the means to win it all. As long as they maintain their defensive identity and players continue to rise to the occasion as the “next man up,” the Toronto Raptors have a serious chance to defend their historic title.