Is Kawhi Leonard having the best season in Raptors history?

It remains to be seen whether Kawhi Leonard will play more than one season with the Toronto Raptors, but his first year with the team is shaping up to be one of the best-ever played in team history.

Whether on offence or defence, the small forward is showing Raptors fans why he's one of the best in the NBA, averaging career highs in points (27.6) and rebounds (7.9) to go along with 1.9 steals and 3.1 assists a night.

"I think when it's all said and done, Kawhi Leonard will be looked upon in this season, as perhaps having the best season of anyone in a Raptor uniform with what he's able to do both ways," said Chuck Swirsky, the former play-by-play television and radio voice of the Toronto Raptors from 1998-2008.

Whether Leonard is in the process of delivering the greatest individual Raptor season is debatable. The team, after all, has had some great players over the years, including Vince Carter, Chris Bosh and DeMar DeRozan

How do those four stars stack up? Take a look at the graphic below. 

In addition to being named a starter for the 2019 all-star game in Charlotte, Leonard is one of only five players this season to be named player of the week more than once, and has scored 20 or more points in his last 20 games.

The Raptors have owned the best record in the NBA for stretches of this season and Leonard has a legitimate chance to lead the Raptors to the first 60-win regular season in franchise history.

"Depending on the rest of the second half — and if he stays healthy — I think Kawhi Leonard is going to be a legit superstar, when the Raptors have probably never seen that type of player in their franchise history," said Swirsky, who is now the play-by-play radio voice of the Chicago Bulls. "I don't toss [the word] superstar...around a lot.

"He is a superstar."

Staying fresh for April

Despite the fact Leonard has sat out 13 games due to rest this season, he's made all the difference when he's been on the floor. He's shown little rust coming back from a quad injury that limited him to just nine games played last season.

The Raptors' record with Leonard on the floor this season is 26-10 and he also led the team to a 7-4 record during a stretch when Kyle Lowry was out with a back injury.

Earlier this season, the Raptors defeated the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks 123-116 on the road with Lowry on injured reserve. Leonard had 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in a heavyweight matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"I think what the Raptors are doing with load management and rest is wise on their part, because they want [Leonard] fresh for April," said Swirsky, who covered Vince Carter in his heyday with the Raptors. "We know what they can do right now —and trust me they are having a fantastic season — but they are going be judged on what they do in the playoffs and I think everyone gets that."

Uncharted territory

Pairing team success with career-best statistics is a good way to throw your name in the discussion for league MVP. Leonard also won back-to-back defensive player of the year awards in 2015 and 2016 and he's a candidate to win it again this season as the Raptors' defensive anchor.

But for a Raptors superstar, this is uncharted territory. No Raptor has ever won defensive player of the year, and Vince Carter (2000-2001) and Kyle Lowry (2015-2016) are the only Raptors to finish as high as 10th in MVP voting.

Leonard's highlight plays often leave fans in amazement, but you can't forget about the history of all-star players this team had over the years. And despite his praise for Leonard, Swirsky still says the effect Carter had on the franchise is transcendent.

"I still think the greatest player in Raptors history was Carter, because I think it transcended more than just on the court," said Swirsky, "I would say that in terms of [being] impactful and setting the tone, it would be Carter."    

National audience

Carter's effect on the franchise can be exemplified in the national audience he garnered during his time with the Raptors. In his first game on national TV, Carter had 51 points against the Phoenix Suns during the 1999-2000 season.

WATCH | Vince Carter's impact in 1999-2000 season: 

Vince Carter: half man, half amazing

25 years ago

Duration 1:57

In just his second NBA season, Vince Carter has taken the Toronto Raptors to unprecedented heights of popularity. Carter/Raptors footage: NBA

But even during the glory days of Carter, Swirsky remembers the national TV appearances being scheduled at odd times. And despite the amount of success the Raptors franchise had over the past few seasons, national TV appearances have been hard to come by.

"Vince's first game on national TV I think was on a Sunday against Phoenix… The Raptors would make the playoffs but [they] were on NBA TV at around the early playoff game at around 11:30 in the morning," said Swirsky.

Leonard brought a new buzz to the franchise before he even stepped on the floor in a Raptors uniform. This season's 15 U.S. nationally televised games are tied for the second-most in franchise history.

The perception of the Raptors may always be influenced by the fact that they are north of the border and not quite as attractive as some of the NBA's other big markets like Los Angeles and New York. But that could be changing this season.

"The perception is national TV… With Kawhi being traded, that was the major offseason story line along with LeBron going to the Lakers," said Swirsky. "Now with Kawhi Leonard as a ready-made superstar, everyone wants to see how this is going play out.

I think that's why that perception of 'oh boy what's going on now, how come we are not getting our just due?' I think that's out the window now."

But for how long? Leonard was acquired by the Raptors in July through a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs, packaged along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poetl and a 2019 first-round pick. Leonard is a free agent after this season and has offered no commitments to staying in Toronto.

If this is, in fact, a true one-and-done season for Leonard in Toronto, it will rank as one of the greatest in franchise history.