Toronto Raptors: 3 Players Who Disappointed This Season

After getting swept in the playoffs by LeBron and his Cavs for two straight years, Toronto's front office sensed the need for drastic change. Ever since they signed a soon-to-be free agent Kawhi Leonard last year, everything else from that point on has been nothing but a roller-coaster of emotions.

Under the Klaw's leadership, Toronto lifted their first ever NBA title and dethroned the mighty Golden State Warriors. Much to the delight of Canadians, the pieces that the franchise managed to put around Leonard paid huge dividends down the stretch whenever the postseason waves turned turbulent.

Despite their 58-24 regular season and entering the playoffs as a respectable 2nd seed from the East, the Raptors weren't really favourites to lift the trophy up until they won four straight against the Bucks. Without a doubt, it was a year full of crests and troughs, but kudos to the Raptors squad for holding it together and coming through with a victory that is just beginning to set in.

Nevertheless, there are always those who fail to hit the mark during the joyride and so was the case during this illustrious Raptors run. Let's take a look at three most disappointing individual performers from the 2018-19 Championship winning roster.

#1 Danny Green

Danny Green was "the other guy" in the Kawhi trade.

After shooting a career-high 45% from beyond the arc during the regular season, Green's three-point conversion plummeted to an uncharacteristically low 32% during the playoffs. Apart from his six three-pointers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the 32-year-old was a no-show in most of the crunch games for the Raptors.

Despite playing over 28 minutes per contest across the 24 playoff games, the veteran sharp-shooter averaged just 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. It was only at five occasions during this period that he could score at least 13 points or more.

His consistency wasn't quite there, especially when seen in contrast to his regular season numbers. Green was also the culprit of what might have been a costly turnover during the dying seconds of Game 6 had Curry hit his three-point shot.

Green knew his limitations as a player, but at more instances than one, he failed to deliver on his role on the team.

#2 OG Anunoby

The Raptors missed Anunoby's defensive tenacity in the playoffs.

Following an emergency appendectomy, the 21-year-old missed the playoffs entirely despite coming quiet close to a return before Game 2 of the Finals.

He missed considerable time - enough for the Raptors to shuffle their depth charts and play quality basketball on both ends of the floor without him. In his sophomore year, he appeared in 67 games during the regular season(6 of which he started) and averaged just 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game, clocking in 20+ minutes when healthy.

His overall shooting of 45.3% from the floor was a noticeable step-down from an impressive 48% conversion during his rookie season. Moreover, his three pointing shooting numbers slid down to as low as 33%(from 38% in the previous year).

Nevertheless, Coach Nurse made it clear that the youngster deserved every bit of the ring,

"He's a super talented young player It was a tough year for him. We'll have to kind of go with the clean slate approach ... He's very young basketball-wise ... We love his length, athleticism", said Nick Nurse.

#3 Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol's arrival in Toronto met with mixed reactions.

Gasol came alive in the Finals to record three games with 17 points or more, but remained fairly ineffective in playoff match-ups prior to that point. After averaging as high as 19.3 ppg in the postseason just the year prior, the 34-year-old scored just 9.4 points per playoff game during the Raptors' title run.

Despite shooting more from three-point territory in the playoffs than his previous year with the Grizzlies - where he was the prime scorer - Marc's conversion dropped to 38% from deep.

During the 26 regular season games he played(starting in 19) after the trade, Gasol recorded his first single-digit scoring average(9.1 ppg) of his career. Playing over 25 minutes per contest, Marc's numbers included 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. The big man is slated to make another $25 million if he opts in for next season, which is far more than what any other team might be willing to pay him.