Toronto Raptors roundtable: Offensive, defensive rank and breakout players
What will the Raptors rank in offense this season?
Gavin Axelrod:
Toronto ranked among the league leaders in offense last season and there’s no reason that should change.
Losing DeMar DeRozan forced the Raptors to re-tool their offensive schemes, however, when Leonard gets back to his MVP form this offense is going to be scary. The Raptors have many weapons including the newly added shooting touch of Danny Green. Also, the Raptors have one of if not the best second units in the NBA which, will cement them atop the NBA.
Mark Birdsell:
The Raptors had the second best offensive rating last season.
The only team with a higher rating was the Houston Rockets. However, that might change this season. The Rockets lost a number of key contributors including Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. They were replaced with notorious ball stopper, Carmelo Anthony.
Meanwhile, Nick Nurse was tasked with introducing a new offensive system last season. Now that Nurse has been elevated to Head Coach, he is likely going push the boundaries even further.
Before joining the Raptors, Nurse led the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a D-League Championship. That season, the Vipers finished first in offensive rating, pace and three-pointers attempted. I expect similar results this season.
The Raptors will look to move the ball and take a lot of threes. Last season, the Raptors finished third in three-point attempts at 33 per game. They finished 22nd the year before. The Raptors feature a number of strong three-point shooters. Their attempts per game will likely increase as will the teams’ overall percentage. The Raptors are going to be a fun team to watch this season.
Rizzla:
The Raptors seem like a good bet to finish among the top four again this season as long as they can remain as consistent across the board. Last season the Raptors excelled at home, away, on rest, and on back-to-backs. This year, they’ll need to do the same.
The main reason I believe the Raptors will hold firm in offensive efficiency is Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is taking the place of DeMar DeRozan and has an equal or greater offensive rating then DeMar every year since he has entered the league.