VANCOUVER — The greatest team in Toronto Raptors history was elevated to its ultimate peak by Kawhi Leonard.

He wasn’t the only future Hall of Famer on the 2018-19 Raptors. Kyle Lowry was the team’s heartbeat and Marc Gasol was its backbone, but Leonard was the one whose talent turned the dream of lifting a trophy into a reality. 

And now that Leonard is back in Toronto for his reunion tour, it’s hard not to be excited about what adding his still-formidable skills to the Raptors lineup could mean for a next generation of dreams. 

But there is more that goes into building a winning team than handing the ball to Leonard, even if he did average a career-high 27.9 points per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season.

Which is where rookie Allen Graves fits into this picture.

How exactly is a bit of an unknown at this particular moment. The 19th pick in the draft this past June wowed in Summer League in July, was generating steady buzz during summer workouts and right through the informal scrimmages in early September. But a minor groin injury has kept him out of the Raptors' first pre-season game last Saturday in Quebec City. 

However, there is optimism he’ll be available when the Raptors host the Los Angeles Clippers this Saturday in Vancouver, their second of five pre-season games before the season opener on Oct. 21.

Leonard won’t be playing as he continues to work himself into game shape — a process that will hopefully make him available when the Raptors host the New York Knicks on Tuesday in Toronto. 

In the meantime, these are important development opportunities for the rest of the roster and the youngest members of it in particular. 

What role Graves could play Saturday or at any point in the near future is an unknown variable, but one the Raptors would love to nail down.

Finding playing time for young players was a priority over the past three years as the Raptors were very clearly rebuilding. Now, having made the playoffs last season and added Leonard in the summer, the windows of opportunity might be harder to pry open. 

But Graves is open to any chance there might be, in any form. 

“I feel like........

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