Thanks in large part to the efforts of Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors claimed their first championship in franchise history last season. Though the team's roster has changed for this campaign, Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri says their goal is to repeat.
Kawhi Leonard left the Raptors this offseason, opting to join the Clippers. Toronto has played fairly well without him, as their 29-14 overall record can attest. When asked if he thinks his team can win it all again, though, Ujiri noted that they'll die trying:
“Hey, we're going to die trying,” Ujiri said, via TSN. “I know these guys and they're going to die trying.
“No one thought we would be competing for second in the East,” Ujiri added. “There's not one person that thought that, with a championship player like Kawhi leaving. These guys have stepped up, and we appreciate what they have done.”
Masai is ready to bring back the Larry OB or "die trying" 👀 pic.twitter.com/1oH5mrCDh3
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 22, 2020
The Raptors have been playing well of late. They've won four straight, including Monday night's 122-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Several players have stepped up for the Raptors, now that Leonard is no longer on the team. Players like Pascal Siakam, Freddy VanVleet and Norman Powell are seeing increased workloads, and they're making the most of their opportunities. Kyle Lowry is still there, and he's leading his team in assists (7.6 per game).
The Raptors will be back in action on Wednesday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Sixers. Tip-off inside Scotiabank Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
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