NBA Notes: Raptors, Kawhi Leonard, Rockets, Reed Sheppard, Hawks

Raptors

The Raptors added Kawhi Leonard, giving them another elite and versatile defender beside Scottie Barnes. That still doesn’t guarantee an answer for every opponent.

Rocco Moschella of NBA On SI identified teams with multiple creators and a strong interior presence as Toronto’s most difficult potential matchup.

Barnes and Leonard can handle the first two assignments. The larger question is what the Raptors place around them.

Smaller lineups provide shooting and ball-handling but can become vulnerable around the basket. Bigger combinations offer more resistance inside while potentially compromising offensive spacing.

Jakob Poeltl helps against traditional centers. RJ Barrett supplies additional scoring. Neither necessarily solves the complete equation against teams capable of forcing switches and attacking whichever defender Toronto attempts to hide.

This isn’t evidence of a defective roster. No NBA team possesses a perfect response to every lineup. The Raptors’ advantage is having multiple options. Coach Darko Rajakovic’s job is identifying which compromise hurts least on a particular night.

Leonard and Barnes give Toronto a strong starting point. The other three players will determine how much that defensive versatility actually matters.

Rockets

The Rockets could make another trade. That does not mean they are shopping Reed Sheppard.

Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective that Houston is “primed to make a trade,” although he acknowledged it could happen this season or a year from now.

Eric Jay Santos of Rockets On SI suggested Sheppard as a potential candidate because Houston’s backcourt has become crowded. That portion is Santos’ speculation, not Windhorst’s reporting.

Sheppard averaged 13.5 points across 82 games last season and finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Fred VanVleet is returning, Amen Thompson has established himself and Marcus Smart adds another veteran guard. Rookie Bruce Thornton also will compete for minutes.

Sheppard would possess legitimate trade value as a 22-year-old former No. 3 pick with shooting ability and two years remaining on his rookie contract.

That’s also why trading him merely to alleviate a minutes crunch wouldn’t make much sense. If Houston uses Sheppard in a package for a clear upgrade, fine. Until then, a young shooter capable of playing without the ball seems rather useful beside Kevin Durant.

The Rockets may be primed for a trade. Sheppard isn’t necessarily primed to be traded.

Hawks

The Hawks finished fifth in three-point percentage last season. Rohan Roman of Hawks On SI believes they could climb all the way to first.

That’s a projection, and not an especially ridiculous one. CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both shot better than 37 percent despite high volume. Atlanta now gets a full season with McCollum, while Alexander-Walker could become even more comfortable within the offense.

The bigger surprise came from Onyeka Okongwu. He increased his three-point percentage from 32.4 to 37.6 while raising his attempts from 2.0 to 5.2 per game.

Jock Landale made 39.1 percent after arriving in Atlanta, giving the Hawks potential shooting at center regardless of which veteran plays.

Improvement elsewhere also appears possible. Dyson Daniels is unlikely to repeat his 18.8-percent performance, while Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins have established histories as better shooters than they were last season.

Reaching No. 1 probably requires Atlanta to approach 39 percent as a team, up from approximately 37 percent. That’s a significant jump.

A top-five finish is entirely believable. First place will require nearly every optimistic projection to hit.

The Hawks at least have enough shooters to make the possibility worth considering.