Toronto Raptors dominant November key to season-long success

The Toronto Raptors had a great month of November and let people know that they still are a team to be reckoned with in the NBA.

The Toronto Raptors weren’t given high expectations to start the season. After losing Kawhi Leonard, many expected the Raptors to be a middle of the pack team at best. However, after the month of November, Toronto is looking like so much more than that. They were stellar the past month. Even after some tough injuries, they never lost their momentum.

Toronto put up a 10-3 record in November, including a six-game winning streak to end the month.  They continued their success at home, going undefeated (5-0) at the Scotiabank Arena.

Toronto’s defense could be seen as the highlight of the month, as they were able to shut down some of the games best scorers throughout. LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid all struggled against the Raptors defense, combing for a shooting percentage below 40 percent.

But that’s far from the only positive from the Raptors exceptional month. Pascal Siakam has taken another big leap, entering into the fringe-MVP conversation. OG Anunoby has maintained his early season success. And Fred VanVleet has shown he’s a legitimate starting point guard.

The Raptors have been able to find some depth in their roster as Terence Davis (who is beginning to become a fan favorite) Chris Boucher, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Matt Thomas have shown flashes of what they can bring at the NBA level.

The Raptors reminded everyone that they are the defending champs and should be respected as such. They have shown that they can stifle teams on defense and have a star that can carry the load offensively if needed. Now that the month of November is over, what were the big takeaways?