Could the Toronto Raptors go Back to Back if the Season Resumes?

With the Toronto Raptors being the reigning NBA champions and currently sitting third place in the NBA, could they go back to back and win the 2020 NBA championship if the season resumes?

The Toronto Raptors have one of the best teams in the NBA, with them winning the championship last season and currently sitting third place in the league, they could easily go back to back in my opinion.

The roster they have this year is pretty similar to the roster they had last year during their championship run, just minus Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and I guess you can throw the reserves in there too.

Question is, with the season currently suspended due to COVID-19, if it resumes and there are playoffs, could the Toronto Raptors go back to back and win the championship again?

Eastern Conference Standings

At the time of the NBA’s suspension due to COVID-19, the Toronto Raptors were second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite everyone’s thoughts about the team going into this season they defied the odds and are arguably one of the best teams in the NBA, considering the injuries this team has faced this year. (Stats from NBA.com)

Here is the current playoff picture in the Eastern Conference…

1. Milwaukee Bucks  53-12
2. Toronto Raptors  46-18
3. Boston Celtics  43-21
4. Miami Heat  41-24
5. Indiana Pacers  39-26
6. Philadelphia 76ers  39-26
7. Brooklyn Nets  30-34
8. Orlando Magic  30-35

Could Raptors Repeat as Champions?

The big question is could the Toronto Raptors repeat as NBA champions this year if the season resumes from the current suspension? I’m going to say it, yes they can one hundred percent repeat as champions and go back to back.

There are countless reasons why I believe the Toronto Raptors could go back to back, for starters they are the current champions so if they won it last year what makes them not have a chance at winning it this year?

Second of all, they currently sit third in all of the NBA and are arguably the best team in the league if they stayed healthy during the whole season. They also have a very deep team, from the starters to the bench, this team could go very, very far in the playoffs again.

If the season resumes and they jump right into the playoffs the Toronto Raptors would be playing the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, and more than likely beat them in five or six games. The next round would be the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers, and the conference finals would more than likely be the Milwaukee Bucks yet again.

They can totally repeat as champions, but I also could see them getting out in the conference finals as well. The NBA is unpredictable sometimes, there are a lot of good teams in this league that can upset anyone.

All in all, even though anything can happen and the Toronto Raptors will have a tough road to the finals I truly believe they can repeat as champions. They are the better team than most of the Eastern Conference, and they also have had some of the team’s numbers this season as well.

Key Players in the Playoffs

With the team being so deep they are going to need some players to step up and be the best of the best during playoff time. Here are my five players who are going to have to be key contributors during the playoffs.

At number one I have the obvious Pascal Siakam, he’s the primary scorer on this team, he’s taken that next step after having an amazing season last year which earned him the NBA’s MIP award.

At number two I have another obvious in Kyle Lowry, he’s the leader of this team, he’s a bulldog, he’s a fighter. He helped lead the Toronto Raptors last playoffs with Kawhi and it led to a championship. He’s also playing some of the best basketball of his career this year as well.

At number three I have Marc Gasol, he’s getting up there in age but he’s still a great defender that this team needs. He should have his minutes monitored and he shouldn’t play too many minutes a night if he wants to stay healthy because we’ve seen him go out this season with a couple of injuries already.

At number four I have Norman Powell, he had his breakout year this season and it was cut short multiple times due to injuries. Just like Gasol he should watch out and try and remain healthy. With a healthy Powell on this team, it’s dangerous to have him on the floor for opposing teams and it could be a big boost to the bench production too.

At number five I have Fred VanVleet, and just like Powell, he has taken a big step in his production this season. With him being a key contributor in the 2019 playoffs after the birth of his son and then taking a big step in the regular season he could definitely continue that into the 2020 playoffs and help lead this team to another championship.

Do you think the Toronto Raptors could repeat as champions and go back to back, or no?