Toronto Raptors: Best-case and worst-case scenario for the 2018-19 season

Best-case scenario

Make no mistake, if things go right for the Raptors, they will be very good.  Probably better than they’ve ever been.

Kyle Lowry, although past the prime of his career, is still one of the best point-guards in the East.  If the Raptors can take advantage of the depth that they have at the point-guard position and limit Lowry’s minutes while keeping him healthy, he will have another strong year.

Hopefully the addition of proficient three-point shooters Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard will give Lowry the space he needs to operate on offense.

The Raptors also have immense depth on the wing.  Danny Green will likely be the backcourt starter alongside Lowry, but Nick Nurse will have C.J. Miles, Norman Powell, and OG Anunoby to choose from when Leonard or Green are off the floor.

Serge Ibaka is somewhat of an X-factor for the Raptors – when he plays well the team tends to be at its best.  Ibaka has proven that he can be a game changer on the defensive end, but consistency has been what’s kept him from reaching an All-Star level.  If Nick Nurse can figure out how to put properly incorporate him into the offense and defense, we could see a rejuvenated Ibaka this year.

Kawhi’s accolades speak for themselves, and if he is healthy and motivated, the Raptors will have one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.  He can also get 25-30 points per game and he can do it efficiently.  He is, without a doubt, one of the deadliest weapons in the NBA.

Nick Nurse’s free flowing offensive system should work well with him in it, and though he isn’t an elite passer, he tends to make the right decisions on offense.  Most importantly, the 27-year-old is an NBA champion who seems to get better the further he advances in the post-season.

Danny Green has an NBA championship too, and he is one of the best three-point shooting, defensive minded wing players in the NBA.  He’s often overlooked, but he played a huge role in San Antonio when as the team competed in two consecutive NBA finals.

The Raptors have enough talent to compete with any team in the East, and if they can get on the same page defensively, they will be very tough to score against.

The bench mob is mostly still in-tact, and Nurse will be able to fully implement his free-flowing offensive style that worked so well for the team last year.

Going in to next year’s playoffs, if the Raptors have home court advantage and a healthy roster, it would be hard to imagine them being eliminated before the Eastern Conference Finals.  If they do get there, Leonard has proven that he can utterly lock down an opposing team’s best perimeter player, and advancing to the NBA finals could become a real possibility.

Assuming Golden State will represent the West, the Raptors match up with them better than most people think.  In terms of overall talent and experience, the Warriors have the edge, but the Raptors have the defensive weapons to frustrate the Warriors into bad shooting nights.

That would be the best case-scenario for the Toronto Raptors this season – Making it out of the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history, and not getting blown-out by a finals opponent.

Realistically, the chances of the Raptors winning an NBA championship are slim.  It takes time for players and coaches to adapt to each other, and a certain amount of luck.  Even the ultra-talented 2011 Miami Heat couldn’t make it work in their first year.

In any case, the Toronto Raptors inarguably have the most talented roster they’ve ever had, but they have a very short time to assemble all of the moving pieces.  Only time will tell.