How the Raptors & Spurs Have Fared After the DeRozan-Leonard Trade In NBA Land, it was the talk of the summer.That is the Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade. It was no doubt a heated discussion and probably upset a lot of people in San Antonio and Toronto. But time moved on and so did most fans. More importantly, DeRozan and Kawhi moved on despite some obvious tension between them and their former teams. With that said, were going to take a brief look at what the players have gone on to accomplish after the trade. Were still relatively early into the season, but both have already lit up the court and done things worth talking about.
DeMar DeRozan
Theres no denying what DeMar can do when hes in his element and under the right direction. To start, he won the October Player of the Month award, and thats no surprise considering his stats. In the points per game category, DeRozan ranks seventh in the league with 27.3, and 14th in the NBA for assists with an average of 6.7 assists per game. Not too shabby. Now we all know that DeRozan gets knocked for inconsistencies in his offensive game, although he has reached some highs such as a 58.4% shooting percentage. He now holds a usage rate of 30.1% on the Spurs, which ranks him as the 14th highest in the league in that regard. Hes also seen some improvements ever since his debut with the San Antonio Spurs, and we can most likely give much of the credit to Gregg Popovich. Overall, DeRozan is doing a fine job out west.
Kawhi Leonard
Heres the crazy thing with Leonard right now - hes been rested as a precaution for a few games, but when hes on the court, hes a beast. At the time of this writing, the Toronto Raptors have a 10-1 record; when they were 7-0, Leonard was averaging 26.1 points per game, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. To top it off, Leonard boasts a player efficiency rating of 26/7 and a stellar 60.6% shooting percentage. Could the Raptors ask anything more from Leonard?
Overall Team Performances
So its clear that both DeRozan and Leonard are putting impressive numbers on the board, and have settled into their new teams quite comfortably. Of course, the discussion would be incomplete without taking a look at how their teams are performing as a whole. Lets take a look at the standings.
Toronto Raptors (Eastern Conference) Place: 1stWins: 10Losses: 1Pct: .909Conf: 5-1Home: 6-0Away: 4-1Looking at those numbers, we can say that its Leonard season. The Raptors are running the east at the moment, thanks to the firepower of Leonard, Lowry, Valaninas, Ibaka, and Siakam.
San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference) Place: 4thWins: 6Losses: 3Pct: .667Conf: 6-1Home: 4-2Away: 2-1Some might say that DeRozan is missing out in the west, considering that Spurs currently sit at 4th place. But not all hope is lost since theyve got a solid roster including the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, the ageless Pau Gasol and the young up-and-comer, Lonnie Walker.
A Fair Trade Agreement
When the trade first took place, yes, there was a degree of pandemonium. Nevertheless, the dust has settled and so have these two NBA All-Stars. You may have had a sour taste in your mouth about the trade after hearing about it. But in the end, youve got two teams who are more than likely to make it to the playoffs. No matter what side youre on, things are looking on the upside right now.Get your Toronto Raptors tickets or San Antonio Spurs tickets today and enjoy some insane ball dribbling & scoring game with your favorite team!