The Kawhi Leonard trade put ‘The 6’ in title-contention mode. Can the team’s backup center live up to the high expectations?
Courtesy: ClutchPoints
The Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. No longer are the Toronto Raptors looked upon as a “weak team” come playoff time. The addition of Leonard adds a whole new dimension to the team–a dimension that only a superstar can bring.
And another positive for the Raptors was the recent move headlined by LeBron James. His departure for LA means that the NBA’s Eastern Conference is wide open. The Raptors can finally breathe a sigh of relief. LeBron has eliminated Toronto from further playoff contention for multiple years now.
Behind NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard and all-star Kyle Lowry, this may be the year that Toronto finally has deep playoff success. Following a franchise record 59 wins and the #1 seed in the East last year, Toronto has the capability to repeat as regular season winner and possibly earn a trip to The Finals.
But there’s still one keyhole in this team: the center. Ever since Bismack Biyombo tallied seven and had 26 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the team hasn’t found that key contributor in the frontcourt. The current starting center, Jonas Valanciunas, has put up reasonable numbers in the postseason, but things get out of control when he goes to the bench.
The Raptors have tried Jakob Poeltl, as well as playing Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam out of position (those two are power forwards). But none of those guys has produced stability at the center position.
Lucas Nogueira (photo, ESPN.com)
That’s why this year is a very important year for Lucas Nogueira. Nogueira could be a defensive anchor or a liability come next year’s postseason.
That’s because the Leonard trade not only shipped off DeMar DeRozan, it also sent big man Jakob Poeltl to San Antonio. That means Nogueira is the only true center on the roster behind Valanciunas.
It also means that Nogueira needs to up his game. And he has one big flaw to address–his three-point shot. Nogueira has made a total of three three-point shots during his entire four-year career.
But there are positives. He has established himself on the inside as a well-above-average pick player. He also has the speed and IQ to identify when to drive inside and score. That’s where the majority of his points come from. So, if he could improve his outside shot during this offseason, Nogueira could become a more versatile (and valuable) offensive player.
On the defensive side, it’s fair to say that he has improved dramatically since his rookie season. For one thing, Nogueira has increased the number of blocks per 36 minutes season-by-season. If that trend continues, then he could become a reliable defensive anchor for the Raptors’ second unit.
I hope the Leonard trade will wake up Nogueira. He’s now in a position to be the focal point of the Raptors’ second unit. If not, then the Raptors will need to find another backup big either via free agency or trade.
Can Lucas Nogueira become a reliable big man on a contending team? Time will tell.
