Raptors odds: Vegas projects Toronto as a fringe playoff team

The Toronto Raptors have officially started to gear up for a pivotal 2021-22 season, as their 11th place finish last year is simply not acceptable for a franchise that has been as used to winning as this one. Still, the latest Raptors odds don’t paint as optimistic a picture for this campaign.

In addition to the fact that some first-time head coaches were given better odds to win Coach of the Year than 2020 recipient Nick Nurse, OG Anunoby was given the same odds to win Defensive Player of the Year as Kevin Durant and Kristaps Porzingis. That proves Vegas isn’t very confident in Toronto’s ability.

After giving the Raptors some rough championship odds early in the offseason, the latest batch of 2021 predictions isn’t very kind to Toronto, as they are still projected to be well below .500 while fighting for a playoff spot in that crowded Eastern Conference middle tier.

The oddsmakers over at WynnBET have the Raptors at -130 (bet $130 to win $100) to win over 35.5 games, while it’s -104 (bet $104 to win $100) if you think they’ll win under 35.5 games.

Raptors odds: Toronto is being doubted by Las Vegas.

The Raptors did lose Lowry, but retaining Masai Ujiri means that the man who helped turn Toronto from an interesting fringe team into a contender for a half-decade means that this team may be set up for a very quick resurgence back into the postseason.

Considering that the Raptors were in fourth place at 16-15 at one point in the 2020-21 season before injuries, COVID-19, their home environment in Tampa, and what seemed to be the vengeful finger of God prevented them from ever getting into a groove. After some offseason moving and shaking, they might be set up for success.

Gary Trent Jr. and Khem Birch were resigned, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet will likely take huge steps forward on offense without Lowry, and Scottie Barnes was added to the mix. This doesn’t seem like a team that is going to flirt with 50 losses again this season.

Make your pick now on WynnBet.

While WynnBET has the Hornets’ over-under line at 38.5, and the Pacers at 42.5, the fact that they have Washington at 31.5 shows that they think the Raptors will be better than Bradley Beal and the Wizards this season.

Toronto might not compete for a championship this season, but this team has enough remnants of the 2019 team to make a run for the postseason. Looks like they’ll have even more doubters to overcome this year.