The Toronto Raptors are finals contenders

The Raptors are a finals contender.

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Well, the Eastern Conference Finals. By adding DeMarre Carroll, the Raptors aren’t suddenly squarely in the threshold of true championship aspirations. But they’re very, very close. They lack proper ball movement on offence. They also lack elite 3-point shooters, and if we’ve learned anything from the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors over the last few years, they are going to need more than one.

Shouts of “We The North” from the inside of Drake’s studio aside, the Toronto Raptors are a basketball team on the rise.

The true significance of adding Carroll is he increases the team’s versatility. Due to the rising significance of small ball and the nearly nonexistent three-point shooting of DeMar Derozan, the Raptors’ best lineup may feature Carroll at the power forward position and Terrence Ross, who can explode any game, at shooting guard. Carroll will be relied upon for his elite defense at the wing and sneaky defense in the post, in addition to his Kyle Korver-like role on offence.

May 24, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) looks to make a play aginat Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The small ball lineup gives the Raptors multiple options at centre: the athleticism and size of Jonas Valanciunas, the underrated under-the-basket skill of Luis Scola, the floor-spacing ability of Patrick Patterson, the bombastic defence of Bismack Biyombo and the developing offensive and defensive playmaking skills of Lucas Nogueira.

The small ball lineup will also give slasher DeMar DeRozan more space to operate, allowing him to play to his natural strengths. DeRozan has done something unique over his career: he has managed to improve as a player nearly every year, yet his field goal percentage has dropped nearly each year he has been in the league. This could be due to him settling for too many contested jump shots, which could be due to too much congestion in the lane. Placing more shooters on the floor also will allow DeRozan to continue his development as a playmaker, making him even more dangerous when he does slash to the hoop.

Cory Joseph and Delon Wright will give the Raptors depth at the point guard position, allowing at least two of the point guards to be on the floor at once. Joseph and Wright can both thrive in transition, and are defensive-minded point guards who can guard shooting guards. Where they differ is in how they play the game offensively.

Joseph is a better shooter and, coming from San Antonio’s system, he knows all about ball movement. Wright will operate the pick and roll very effectively, which is important because the Raps use the pick and roll heavily in their offensive sets.

Head coach Dwane Casey, who learned under the offensive-minded George Karl, is able to be creative with his lineups because of the new additions. However, things must improve with the team’s current core. Valanciunas, though faring well individually against his matchups, needs to prove he can fit the team’s style of play. The combination of Patterson and Valanciunas is respectable. Both players have length and offensively, they’re a fine pair since Patterson can do everything Valanciunas can’t. Still, Patterson will have to put more effort into closing out defensive possessions with a rebound.

Adding Joseph, Wright, Carroll and Scola as replacements for Greivis Vasquez, Lou Williams, and Amir Johnson seriously improved the roster defensively. Let’s not forget that in what was seen as a bit of a letdown year for the Raptors, the team still won 49 games, just 4 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a matter of fact, Casey should point to the success of the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals as evidence that with a defensive foundation, the Toronto Raptors can thrive.

Casey should be able to guide this squad to their first playoff series win since the immortal Vince Carter was in his second year, Tyrone Corbin and Mark Jackson sat on our bench and got coached, Antonio Davis was in the highlights of ESPN and not analyzing the highlights on ESPN and Muggsy Bogues was still in the league.

There are only five legitimate teams in the Eastern Conference with any type of NBA Finals aspirations: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors. To beat the others, the Toronto Raptors must be an elite defensive squad with improved floor-spacing, and I believe they will be.

Next: Goodbye Terrence Ross?

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