Norman Powell of the Toronto Raptors admits that the departure of Kawhi Leonard left a big void in their team. However, he is still confident that their current crop of players have the capacity to defend the title.
Speaking with Jeff Blair, Stephen Brunt, & Richard Deitsch of Prime Time Sports, Powell noted how people have continuously counted them out over the years. As such, they're used to the criticisms and the outside noise. But internally, they're a pretty confident group of guys. They know they can still compete for the title despite losing Leonard — probably the most important piece of their 2019 NBA Finals run.
“Losing Kawhi [Leonard] was a big part of what we did last year. But we still have a core group of guys who made a big impact during that championship run back on the team. We have OG [Anunoby] who's out during that run dealing with injuries and is back revamped and taking a step forward. I think this team still has what it takes to be a contender and get back. We don't care what the outside world is saying about the team because they've been saying the same thing for the last 3 to 5 years. We've always been counted out, we've always been doubted, how we're not going to perform well in the playoffs. We still have the confidence and the players to run it back.”
Defending the title is definitely a tall order. But in the NBA, anything can happen. No one expected the Raptors to oust the powerhouse Golden State Warriors squad. And as they enter the 2019-20 season, they'll keep in mind that they were able to achieve the seemingly impossible. A successful title defense is a feasible endeavor.
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