QUEBEC CITY — The plan is that Kawhi Leonard can get them over the top; that one of the great two-way players in NBA history has enough games left in him at age 35 to elevate a young team in the playoffs, taking the Toronto Raptors to heights they haven’t been since he was playing for them in his age-27 season. 

But those are April, May and maybe — if you dream hard enough — June problems. 

The Raptors have to get that far first.  

And while Leonard will have a lot to do with how far the Raptors go —replicating his 65 game, all-NBA season with the Los Angeles Clippers from last season would go a long way towards a big run — he’s going to need some help.

How much he will get, is the question. 

The rules of the universe should prevent anyone from drawing any conclusions on the basis of a single exhibition game, let alone the first exhibition game. But it feels safe to say that the Miami Heat — the Raptors' opponents Saturday at the Videotron Centre — have a lot of quality NBA players on their roster. 

It starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo, of course, after he was acquired in a blockbuster off-season trade. But the list also includes four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, signed after he was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks; Bobby Portis Jr., who was part of the trade that brought Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. who was in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year with Denver last season. Then there are holdovers Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson and more. 

It’s a bit early to predict the Heat as Eastern Conference favourites, but they have a deep collection of proven NBA players of varying wattage, anchored by one of the best five players in the sport. 

“The front office, they definitely did their thing this summer,” said Wiggins, the Canadian NBA star who is suddenly in his 13th season somehow. “They put the right pieces together, pieces that work and I feel like for this team, the sky’s the limit.”

The Raptors would like to believe the same thing. If they are going to match or surpass their result from last season (46 wins, fifth seed, first-round playoff exit), they are going to have to pick up their game against the improved Heat as well as talented rosters in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta, just off........

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