The Toronto Raptors have played their first two preseason games, going 1-1 in the process. However, more important than wins and losses, what have we learned so far?
The most important thing to do in the preseason is to overreact to everything you see. Forget everything you know. Forget everything the Toronto Raptors did during the postseason. All that matters are the two games played on the other side of the Pacific Ocean that don’t actually count.
While that’s a totally absurd statement. The idea that the preseason games, “don’t tell us anything” might be close to as ridiculous. We are watching real NBA players for the first time in months, with new skills they acquired over the summer, and with different teammates. That matters. You know who balled out during the preseason last year? Pascal Siakam. You know who balled out during the real season last year? Pascal Siakam.
While it might be cool to say, ” I don’t care until the games count,” there are real tangible things that can be learned during these four games.
Obviously, the preseason matters for some more than others. Kyle Lowry hasn’t participated in the first two games due to a thumb injury that hasn’t prevented him from golfing. He’s not really injured, he just doesn’t need these two games to get ready (And possibly was threatening to hold out, but let’s not talk about that).
However, for players fighting to earn a rotation spot or even to make the roster, these games matter A LOT. It’s one of their few chances to be evaluated against other NBA competition. They’re certainly going try to make the most of it. These are the players who can show us a lot.
There are still two more preseason games on the schedule, and we’ll obviously continue to learn about the team throughout the regular season. However, with a few games under our belt, here’s what we’ve seen so far.