The Toronto Raptors, like many around the league, were knocked to the floor in disbelief after the Utah Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a package headlined by Collin Sexton and multiple unprotected first-round draft selections. The East just got even more challenging.
Already boasting one of the best frontcourts in the league, thanks to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavs managed to get even deeper and more lethal in the backcourt by pairing Mitchell with Darius Garland. No team in the East may have taken a bigger step forward.
The Raptors can’t feel secure about their playoff chances, as the Nets will presumably be healthy, the Hawks added Dejounte Murray, and the Cavaliers shook the NBA earth with this move. The East is going to be a dogfight for Toronto, who open the season against Mitchell’s Cavs.
While the competition is much more robust, the Raptors should feel confident in their ability to compete for a deep playoff run this year. Koby Altman and the Cavaliers are much better, but they still lack in a few key areas where Toronto comes out on top.
3 reasons the Toronto Raptors are better than the Cavaliers.
3. Perimeter defense
The biggest issue that Mitchell brings to the table is his defensive skills. While he has a long wingspan for a 6-1 guard, he hasn’t shown the results some optimistic Mitchell fans would have liked to see. Even on a good defensive team in Utah, his shortcomings were obvious.
While Cleveland figures to be one of the best defensive teams in the league after this move, Mitchell is the clear weak link that teams will try to attack. Garland is a solid NBA defender, but he won’t be up for the All-Defensive team anytime soon. Toronto has the edge here thanks to multiple veterans who have proven their lockdown quality.
The Toronto Raptors could compete with Cleveland defensively.
Fred VanVleet might be one of the best guards in the league defensively, and Gary Trent Jr. went from one of the league’s worst defenders to a pesky turnover machine. These two sharing the floor for heavy minutes helped Toronto rank as one of the best defenses in the league.
The Cavs have a much better interior defense than the Raptors, and that might be enough to carry them out of the play-in. Having said that, Toronto’s unique scheme and superior backcourt will be an important distinguishing factor as these two talented teams butt heads.
2. Continuity
The Raptors were unusual in that they didn’t lose any of their big-name contributors during the offseason. Unlike the Cavs, who took a hacksaw to their bench to acquire Mitchell, Toronto decided that running it back with the same young core was the best move.
The Raptors have all of their starters back, and they brought back Thad Young and Chris Boucher in free agency. Outside of Otto Porter Jr. coming over from Golden State, most of the remainder of the bench will be young players earning internal promotions. The Cavs completely upended their bench.
Toronto Raptors: This Cavs rotation is full of question marks.
Will Darius Garland be willing to secede shots and control of the ball to Mitchell, especially after an All-Star season? Will Evan Mobley be fine with coming into games as the fourth offensive option on many occasions? With Sexton and Lauri Markkanen gone, is the lack of depth a fatal flaw?
While the Raptors will need to figure out how to get Scottie Barnes more touches without relegating one of their stars to a sideshow role, that won’t be as disruptive as trying to split touches between the old guard and Mitchell, who needs to get 20 shots a game to be effective.
1. Wing depth
Depth might not be an area of true expertise for the Raptors, but they have made some significant strides when compared to last season’s team. Porter came over from the champion Warriors, and both Anunoby and Scottie Barnes promise to be dominant on both ends. Cleveland doesn’t have that luxury after this deal.
Isaac Okoro is a tremendous defender, but he is still developing as a scorer. Cedi Osman has seen his efficiency go down the drain in the last two seasons, and Lamar Stevens will not be much of a positive asset on the offensive end. Toronto, meanwhile, can mix and match several combinations of stars.
The Toronto Raptors have improved depth.
In addition to Anunoby and Barnes in the starting lineup, Porter should provide a nice veteran counterpart to those studs. Want to include Trent and Caris LeVert in this equation? Sure thing! Trent is a better player, even though LeVert is a solid scorer in his own right.
The Raptors put an emphasis on getting more offensively skilled in the last few seasons, and that goal could come to fruition if their internal promotions take a step forward on the wing. Cleveland, meanwhile, has to make sure all of these mouths get fed without the benefit of draft capital in later seasons.