Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Fred VanVleet Believes Toronto Raptors Would’ve 3-Peated If Kawhi Leonard Didn’t Leave The Team

The Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship in six games over the Golden State Warriors, but in the following season, the Raptors were knocked out from the NBA playoffs in the second-round, against the Boston Celtics.

The Raptors were still a very good team in 2020, but it’s obvious that losing Kawhi Leonard prior to the start of that season left a significant void in the team that still hasn’t been filled until today.

Leonard was the difference maker that drove the Raptors to its first NBA championship in the history of the franchise. He along with players like Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, Danny Green and Marc Gasol formed such a devastating offensive and defensive presence in the NBA.

Looking back, Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, who appeared on Ibaka’s “How Hungry Are You?” program, said that the Raptors would’ve three-peated if Leonard didn’t leave the team to join the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Three-peat. For sure,” VanVleet told Ibaka “It was just a perfect group of individuals and we all understood, everybody had the right mindset for the roles. I think definitely we would have won a few more.”