Fox analyst Chris Broussard recently proclaimed that the Toronto Raptors have a strong chance to come out of the Eastern Conference. Should we take these comments at face value?
The Toronto Raptors’ impressive start to the season hasn’t gone unnoticed. A 7-3 start, with an against-all-odds win against the Los Angeles Lakers and an agonisingly close loss to the LA Clippers, the Toronto Raptors have seemingly surprised a few people with their play so far this season.
One person, in particular, is Fox analyst Chris Broussard. After the Raptors ran the Clippers close on Monday night in an exciting, but considerably tough game, Broussard was more than impressed with the display of Nick Nurse’s men, and went on the record to say that he thinks that the Raptors have a legitimate chance of winning the Eastern Conference.
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Now, it’s definitely worth pointing out that Broussard said: “This isn’t a prediction, merely an observation, but we might have just witnessed an NBA Finals preview.” But prediction or observation, it doesn’t matter. That’s some fairly high praise from Broussard.
The Raptors have been one of the most fun to watch and all-around impressive teams this season and have the seventh-best net rating in the NBA, and a lot of that is down to have dogged and defensively stout they’ve been – even without Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry. If you have watched the Raptors this season, you’ll know that his comments definitely don’t come out of the blue.
Broussard said that the Raptors play tough, attack the rim relentlessly and shoot the three-ball well. The fact that Broussard mentions that the Raptors are tough is certainly a far cry from his comments during last seasons playoffs.
Broussard went on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” last postseason and went as far as to say that the Toronto Raptors were “soft”. Something that would definitely be proved wrong throughout the rest of the postseason, and now Broussard has changed his tune completely.
It all comes after the Raptors’ impressive two-game display in LA, specifically for how they shut down Kawhi Leonard in their loss to the Clippers. The Raptors defense held Leonard to just 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field on top of nine turnovers, with a strong defensive performance from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who filled in for the injured OG Anunoby – standing out as the pick of the bunch.
It feels like a long time coming – even during and after their NBA title run they were asterisked – but the Toronto Raptors are starting to consistently get the respect they deserve from fans and analysts alike.
Broussard is known for his hot takes – which sometimes rub fans the wrong way – but this seems like a rather genuine comment, but maybe that’s just the optimist speaking.
Up until this point, everything Broussard said about the Raptors is true. They are one of the best teams in the East and they still manage to compete against stronger teams when they are shorthanded. Once this team is back to its full health, they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.
You can take it seriously or you can look at it as just another hot take, but Chris Broussard is on record saying that the Raptors are legit, and it’s hard to see otherwise.