When the Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard, the franchise leveled up. For 23 years, the Raptors have lacked a truly life-changing superstar. Vince Carter came close to reaching the upper crust, albeit during one of the deepest talent nadirs in league history, and the Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan duo won a whole lot of games. But none of those players are Leonard, who is without question the best player (ya, ya, if he’s healthy, whatever blah shut up) Toronto has ever employed.
With the team graduating to a new stratosphere come the start of the 2018-19 season, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect upon all the good, fine, bad and Araujo players who have paved the way for Leonard’s arrival since the autumn of 1995.