NBA Finals: 4 burning questions ahead of Warriors-Raptors

Can Kawhi continue to carry the Raptors?

Kawhi Leonard has had one of the greatest postseason runs we have seen in recent memory as he has absolutely willed Toronto to the Finals with countless memorable performances and moments (most notably, the Game 7 game-winner against the 76ers in round two).

But a running storyline in these playoffs (especially in the conference finals) has been that Kawhi looks exhausted. As well as that, he also suffered an apparent leg injury in Game 3 against the Bucks which he did continue to play through despite being noticeably hobbled.

That being said, he will have had nearly a week to rest and recover and judging by the greatness he has showcased while not at 100 percent, this could be a problem for Golden State!

The one major change that shifted the entire outlook of the Bucks vs Raptors series was when Nick Nurse put Kawhi on Giannis and The Claw just took him out of the game for stretches. So don’t be surprised if Coach Nurse asks his best player to do the same once Durant is back. Now, KD is a whole other beast on the offensive end compared to the Greek Freak but if there’s anyone who can bother and at least slow down the greatest scorer on the planet it is Kawhi.

On offence, it will be a different story since the Warriors can throw multiple bodies at Kawhi. Andre Iguodala (provided he’s healthy), Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will likely share the responsibility of guarding Leonard and then Kevin Durant will also spend some time matched up with him once he’s back. So, in order for Leonard and the Raptors to be able to overcome the Dubs’ formidable perimeter defenders, the “other guys” are going to have to continue to hit shots and make plays, taking at least some of the pressure off of Kawhi.

But back to the initial question…

Can Kawhi continue to dominate and carry this Toronto squad? Yes.

Can he carry them to a championship? No, at least not by himself, anyway!