Raptors look for progress in pre-season test against Clippers without Leonard
The team's penultimate exhibition game offers a key look at the supporting cast ahead of the star forward's return.
VANCOUVER — The Toronto Raptors will face the Los Angeles Clippers in Vancouver on Saturday in a pre-season game that offers a key look at the team's progress without star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on TSN.
The team's penultimate exhibition game could serve as the first real look at what the rest of the team looks like without its new superstar, according to reporting notes.
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Should head coach Darko Rajakovic rest his starters or limit their minutes, the matchup against the Clippers will be heavily scrutinized.
The game could mark the first time audiences see rookie Allen Graves on the court with Scottie Barnes, if both are healthy.
They are both described as jumbo playmakers that wreak havoc on defence.
Barnes suffered a minor knee scare in a 129-105 loss to the Miami Heat on Oct. 3, a game where the Raptors were without nine players, including Leonard, Graves, Jamison Battle, Alijah Martin, Kyle Anderson and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
In that loss, Toronto shot just 12 for 41 (29 per cent) from three-point range.
If Graves and Battle are healthy enough to suit up against the Clippers, they would add firepower to a team looking to improve its shooting.
This is a big season for Battle, who is in the final year of his contract.
Shooters become game-changing components of an elite offence when next to a legit star like Leonard, the notes state.
Guard Immanuel Quickley is also seen as a player capable of earning end-of-season honours if he reaches the levels he showed with the New York Knicks.
Quickley could get into discussions, especially for the Most Improved Player, according to the notes.
When Quickley is at his best, he is described as the perfect type of guard next to Leonard on offence, an elite catch-and-shoot guard with intimidating range who is also capable of attacking closeouts with a reliable floater.
Graves, meanwhile, is seen as a connective tissue on offence who could play the offensive hub role when Barnes is on the bench.
Defensively, Graves has been praised for his active and quick hands and will join a group that patrolled passing lanes at an elite level last season.
Garbutt Disposal reported earlier this month that Leonard sat out the pre-season opener and was likely to miss the Vancouver game as he focuses on reconditioning.
The star forward returned to the team in late September after a 70-day absence, saying he wanted to move past an investigation and focus on basketball.
The Raptors' final pre-season game is scheduled for Monday against the Sacramento Kings.
With files from Yahoo Sports and Raptors HQ