The Toronto Raptors went from a fringe play-in team to a 48-win near-contender in one season. Individually excellent seasons from Scottie Barnes, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam contributed to this improvement. Unfortunately, this team might be one or two ticks short of being called an unquestioned contender.
Barring the Nets somehow patching things up with Kevin Durant, the projected top four seeds in the Eastern Conference will likely remain relatively unchanged from last year. Philly and the defending champion Celtics are in the exclusive contenders club alongside the Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks.
The Raptors should not be discarded, nor have their pleas to be taken seriously silenced. Toronto went 10-5 against the top-four seeds in the East last year, and they have made some improvements that will give them an even better chance at becoming a contender.
The Raptors have one advantage over all these mighty squads that they can use to pick up some wins in head-to-head matchups. If the Raptors keep building on their strength, they might be viewed as the class of the Eastern Conference sooner than many anticipated.
1 advantage the Toronto Raptors have over the best East teams.
76ers: Scoring skill on the wings
The 76ers may have one of the best 1-2 scoring punches in the league thanks to Joel Embiid and James Harden, but it’s fair to question this roster outside of those two. If Tobias Harris, who has been often maligned for his performance after signing a huge contract, is their best non-Harden perimeter, that’s not ideal.
Matisse Thybulle, an offensive liability who can’t play in Toronto, is projected to start at small forward again. Even though PJ Tucker should play his usually reliable brand of basketball, names like Isaiah Joe, Furkan Korkmaz, and Danuel House might not be adequate supplementary players.
The Toronto Raptors could outscore the 76ers
Barnes and OG Anunoby are both primed for the best offensive years of their career. Expect at least 17 points per game from each of them. In addition, the signing of Otto Porter Jr. and re-signing of Chris Boucher give the Raptors a level of quality on the perimeter that Philly might not be able to equal.
While the 76ers are going to be a dominant offensive team, if for no other reason than the continued excellence of Embiid, hitting a few extra 3-pointers could be the difference between a win and a loss. Philly won the playoff series, but even a less than 100% Raptors team gave them hell in the playoffs.
Bucks: Bench quality
The Bucks may end up as the favorites in the East due to the sheer destructive power that Antetokounmpo possesses. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are as good as it gets when it comes to secondary scorers. The rest of the roster, however, might not be ideal.
Assuming Bobby Portis is the starter at center, the two top reserves on this roster might be Brook Lopez (who is declining physically due to age) and Pat Connaughton. George Hill is fresh off a less-than-productive season at age 36, and Joe Ingles is returning from a serious injury.
The Toronto Raptors have a better second unit this year.
The Porter and Boucher returns will be a big boost for Toronto, as will Thad Young’s first full season in Nick Nurse’s system. If Malachi Flynn finally clicks and makes good on his potential, he and Precious Achiuwa will join that group as part of a revitalized bench.
While the Raptors did pull off some wins against Milwaukee this season, some of them came without Giannis on the floor. While the Bucks can easily lean on Giannis to take them home if things get too difficult, there’s something to be said for Toronto overwhelming the Bucks with their second unit.
Heat: Talent Near the rim
Bam Adebayo is one of the best big men in the game, as the 6-9 defensive dynamo is the kind of player Ujiri would dream about. However, as evidenced when the Celtics flattened them in the postseason, Miami could stand to get a backup with higher ceilings than Dewayne Dedmon or Omer Yurtseven.
The Heat are fresh off ranking dead last in the NBA in blocks per game with 3.2 per game. This came despite Adebayo’s excellence. Coming in 18th in defensive rebounding, Miami has a lack of depth in this area that Toronto could exploit in the postseason.
The Toronto Raptors could bang with Miami inside.
In addition to the fact that forwards like Barnes and Anunoby have proven to be, at minimum, adequate post defenders, Siakam is fresh off his best season on both sides of the ball. Pairing that trio with the always improving Achiuwa and recent 7-1 draftee Christian Koloko should all help the Raptors match up well against Miami.
The Raptors have been more than willing to sacrifice size in the name of positional flexibility, but they are starting to realize that this strategy has some limitations. By getting a bit bigger and investing in the frountcourt, Miami’s annoying style of play might not bother them as much.
Celtics: Thin rotation
While it’s hard to be too critical of a reigning conference champion who fixed their biggest need (a lack of a true point guard) by acquiring Malcolm Brogdon for pennies on the dollar, this Celtics rotation is still very top-heavy. Ime Udoka succeeded by shortening the rotation last year, but one injury could wreck things.
Marcus Smart has missed more than 10 games in all but two seasons of his eight-year career, and Al Horford is no young stallion at 36. With names like Payton Pritchard, the aging Danilo Gallinari, or Grant Williams in line to take on featured roles should this happen, Boston is playing with fire in this regard.
The Toronto Raptors need depth to beat Boston.
Toronto realized that leaning on VanVleet and Siakam as much as they did last year was not sustainable. The signing of Porter in tandem with the retention of both Young and Boucher may show a willingness to expand the rotation to nine or ten players.
This will help guard them against injury and make them a deeper team when April comes around.
The Celtics have arguably the best defense in the league and a pair of legit stars at the peak of their powers. They are not to be taken lightly. Still, Toronto beat them in the past, and they have the horses to do it again.