The initial takeaway was what a tremendous pass Kawhi Leonard had just thrown. Ostensibly trapped in the corner, Leonard fired a bullet across the width of the court to Pascal Siakam, who promptly drained a three. It effectively ended the brief counter-punch the Boston Celtics offered in a one-sided affair on Tuesday.



That Leonard made that read, displayed that patience and fired that pass is important. In fact, Leonard’s progression as a playmaker and his initiation into the larger Raptors offence has been one of the primary stories of the season and will remain so down the stretch. If Leonard is manipulating a defence like this, the Raptors theoretical upside gets much easier to dream on.



Something else is going on in this play, too: Siakam is wide open.



It’s not uncommon for defences to help off the weak-side corner to protect the paint, because in theory the ball is going to take longer to travel there, buying time for rotations. The...