3 most exciting parts of surprising 2021-22 Raptors season
By Mike Luciano
Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors are just a few quarters away from ending their season in a fairly unimpressive fashion, as the Philadelphia 76ers are completely dominating them early in their playoff series. The mood around Toronto is glum despite their success early.
The Raptors managed to rebound from their poor season in Tampa and earn the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s not bad for a team that had to overcome so many noteworthy flaws late in the season and has just one player on the roster who is older than 30.
No matter how the season ends, Toronto can take solace in the fact that 2021-22 was a major step in the right direction. Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse have this team set up for future success thanks to the pieces in place and the developmental trends that have boosted Toronto’s success so far.
These 3 parts of the Raptors’ season have been the best individual elements of a year where they have seen so much success come their way in such a short period. After winning 48 games this year, Toronto might be able to use this as a springboard to get even better next year.
3 best parts of the 2021-22 Toronto Raptors season.
3. Defying preseason predictions
Toronto’s Tampa sabbatical might have painted the franchise in a bad light, as they went from a consistent playoff participant to a 12th-place team in just one season. The national media seemed to ignore the factors working against the Raptors, including the laundry list of injuries and the lack of home games.
Raptors preseason predictions were full of pessimism, as many believed that they wouldn’t even make the play-in tournament. Some who thought they would make it that far predicted a close exit. Earning the No. 5 seed in the East seemed like a borderline pipe dream for this team.
The Toronto Raptors were better than expected.
While Toronto’s playoff performance left a ton to be desired due to the lack of success, this team is way ahead of schedule thanks to their young players all coming together at the right time. Nick Nurse might lean on his starters too long, but he played a role in getting this bunch to 48 wins.
After struggling against Philadelphia, the media is likely not going to take Toronto seriously as a playoff noisemaker due to the very deep tier of contenders in the East. Overcoming these doubters is nothing new for these players, this franchise, and this fanbase.