The Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship after acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 offseason. Many credit Kawhi's arrival as the main reason why the Raptors were finally able to win the first Larry O'Brien in franchise history.
However, according to DeMar DeRozan , the player who was traded for Kawhi, the main reason the Raptors won the title that year was because LeBron James transferred residences and played in the West instead of the Eastern Conference.
"Never discredit those guys, they want it, they deserve it, you know," said DeRozan. "I finally had got to a point where you know I was happy for them. But for sure, I definitely feel like the only person we couldn't beat was LeBron. That's just what it was."
They couldn't get past the Cavs
DeRozan played his first nine NBA seasons in Toronto after the Raptors drafted him 9th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. Deebo emerged as the team's best player ever and is, in fact, still its all-time leader in many statistical categories, including points scored, field goals made, and games played.
From the 2013-14 to the 2017-18 seasons, DeMar led the Raptors to five straight playoff appearances and four Atlantic Division titles. In his final three seasons there, the team won 56, 51, and 59 regular-season games, but in each of those three years, they were eliminated by LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"And I felt off the year we had before, we just needed one more piece to kind of push us over the top. And that piece came to be LeBron going to the West. And I did not get an opportunity to see what would have happened. But with the utmost confidence within myself, I have no doubt in my mind that the same outcome would have happened."
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The LeBronto era
As Deebo said, the Raptors peaked during his final season in Toronto. That was during the 2017-18 campaign when they won a franchise record 59 games and had the second-best record in the league. But just as it was in the LeBronto era, James sent the Raptors home. The following year, LBJ signed with the Lakers. Unfortunately, Toronto traded DeMar to the Spurs for Kawhi.
Looking at the stats, Leonard made a big difference for the Raptors. He led the team with a win share of 9.5 and a .224 win share per 48 minutes. Kawhi also posted an impressive 4.7 value over replacement player metric. On the other hand, DeRozan had a 9.6 win share in 2017-18 and a .170 win share per 48 minutes. His VORP rating was also at 3.2 that season.
There's no question that DeRozan is the greatest Raptor ever. Whether the Raptors would have achieved the same result with DeMar is unclear. However, based on advanced statistics, Leonard had a great 2018-19 season with the team in the North, which was the main reason they won it all that year.
Related: "I'ma be honest - no!" - DeMar DeRozan thinks there is nothing the Raptors could have done to dethrone LeBron James during his peak
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