Raptors: 3 areas where Toronto is already better than last year
By Mike Luciano
2. Activeness on defense
The Raptors put a premium on getting longer and stronger this season, and their roster full of 6-8 bodies with incredibly long arms appeared to make a noticeable impact on the defensive end. Aside from a weird blind spot for corner 3-pointers, this unit looked like they’d been playing together for years.
The biggest difference comes in their steals per game totals. Last year, they were top-five in the league in both steals (8.6) and blocks (5.4) per game. Both of those lines were exceeded in preseason play despite no Pascal Siakam or Chris Boucher, as they averaged 12.0 steals, good for seventh in the league, and 6.0 blocks per contest.
The Toronto Raptors look ready to make some noise on defense.
The Raptors held teams under 110 points in three of their five preseason games. Considering how wide-open this league has become on that end of the floor, the fact that Toronto was playing above-average defense on the back of bench players making their first appearances for the club is a credit to this coaching staff.
While the 76ers appeared to adjust to proceedings in their second meeting, seeing a parade of 6-8 defenders like Barnes and Precious Achiuwa pick you up at half court and switch everything could be very disorienting, meaning that the Raptors could create confusion on their way to more wins.