Well, Kawhi Leonard is officially back in the 6ix, and Toronto Raptors fans are understandably excited. As good as this team actually could be, many people are still concerned about what's going on at the five. The answer might already be under their noses in a rotation of their existing options at center.
It feels like a lifetime ago, but the Raptors won their first and only NBA Championship in 2019 with Leonard at the helm. He left after that season, heading out for a run with the LA Clippers that was plagued by injuries and scandals. The end result has absolutely crippled the franchise.
Regardless, Toronto is happy to have the Klaw back in Scotiabank Arena. Given how much progress the Raptors have made in the past couple of seasons, they may actually be poised to be real contenders in the Eastern Conference. Even without Leonard, this roster was making some noise.
Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, and more have been putting something legit together. Assuming Leonard stays healthy, he could be one missing piece of this puzzle. The other has to be solving any concerns about their center.
The answer is already on the Raptors
As it stands right now, the biggest concern on Toronto's roster is Jakob Poeltl. He's a solid center who would make a great backup. At the same time, he's not a great starter at the five. The Raptors have needed someone better for a while, with Domantas Sabonis frequently being linked to the team.
Before the Raptors signed Leonard, that trade was unlikely. It's basically a non-starter now, which is probably for the best. If you look at the bigger picture, Toronto already has everyone they need on their roster. Running a center rotation will get them exactly where they need to go.
In addition to Poeltl, the Raptors have other big men on the roster who all bring their own strengths to the five. That means Toronto has the ability to work around Poeltl if they need to. On top of that, rookie power forward CMB is actually a really good small-ball center. He has legit potential.
Rather than making trades, the Raptors have the potential to build a strong rotation of big men with players already on the roster. With Leonard's return to the Raptors shaking things up, the first step for Toronto is to see how everything plays out with the crew they have, then make changes if needed.
