The Raptors have now dropped two in a row for the first time this season following a 106-104 loss to Dwane Casey and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. As well as they've played it's still early in the season and many around the team are still of the belief that they can get even better.
One of those people is the team's newest addition Kawhi Leonard, who made his return to the lineup after missing the two prior games with an ankle injury on Saturday in a win over the New York Knicks. The Raptors were previously undefeated with Leonard in the lineup with a 12-point average margin of victory in those eight games, but in the last two losses Leonard hasn't looked like himself and it could be in part because he doesn't even have a full grasp of Nick Nurse's offence.
“We have a lot of potential, I think we can still get better — this isn’t our ceiling," Leonard told reporters after the win on Wednesday. "With me not even knowing some of the offence, we have Kyle (Lowry) in the game most of the time and he’s controlling the ball and most of the tempo.
"I feel like once I start learning the offence I could even give him a little break and let him get some easier shots even though he’s playing well."
Lowry has been the workhorse for the team so far this season on both ends of the floor. Without Leonard on the floor, it's Lowry who's done the heavy lifting as his usage percentage climbs from 17% to 24%. His shot attempts go from 10.6 to 17.3 per 36 minutes — he's not only being asked to facilitate the offence he's being asked to be the offence.
So far with Lowry doing everything he can for the Raptors, it's worked out, the team is off to an incredible start and Lowry ranks inside the top five in offensive rating with a 121.7. Can Lowry keep shouldering that burden? If it's up to Leonard he won't have to.
"He’s leading us to victories, some of it is me - I don’t really know the offence in and out yet so with that we have potential," Leonard continued.
"Some of our defence(s) as well I feel like we could talk more, rotations you could see the miscues out there with me and Kyle or other guys on the floor and just our chemistry.
"I just feel like we’ll get better with chemistry."