The Toronto Raptors have to reckon with a much improved Eastern Conference in the 2022-23 NBA season. Not only are the Brooklyn Nets eyeing a championship after returning to full health, but the Cleveland Cavaliers just announced their presence as a legitimate contender by acquiring Donovan Mitchell to lead the team’s backcourt.
The Raptors won 48 games last season and brought back essentially their entire rotation. That might not guarantee a No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference again. However, given how the East suddenly became much deeper than the West almost overnight.
The Cavaliers, who were eliminated in the play-in tournament last season, join Toronto in a group of teams expected to make it to the postseason that also includes last year’s No. 8 seed in Atlanta and the No. 6 seed in Chicago. Brooklyn and Cleveland’s massive improvement could create quite the logjam in the middle of the pack.
The Raptors should be wary of these teams, but they shouldn’t necessarily be fearful of their potential. They still have multiple advantages over these squads that could help Toronto push past them in what is going to be a very tight finish in the East.
1 advantage the Raptors have over the Bulls, Hawks, and Cavaliers.
Bulls: Performance against the Best
The Bulls not only got a fantastic season out of Raptors legend DeMar DeRozan and saw Zach LaVine’s ascension to the star tier, but they got back to the playoffs after years of close misses. This should be extra shocking considering how they struggled against most of their playoff competition.
The Raptors went 10-5 against the top 4 teams in the East during the regular season, showing they can pull off wins against the best in the game with regularity. The Bulls finished a whopping 1-14 in those games, meaning that they feasted on the minnows that no longer exist in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors beat good teams more than the Bulls.
The Raptors have proven to confound some of the league’s best thanks to their unique approach to the schematic side of the game and tireless hustle. For Chicago, injury concerns and names like LaVine and Nikola Vucevic failing to come through when needed contributed to this tailspin.
Considering that Lonzo Ball is currently struggling to get healthy, the Bulls could go into a pivotal season without all their heavy hitters in the lineup. One or two losses against top competition could create an avenue for Toronto to overtake them in the rankings.
Hawks: Veteran backups
The Hawks managed to add Dejounte Murray without giving up most of their bench, but that doesn’t mean that the roster is very deep overall. Murray, Trae Young, and John Collins lead a great starting lineup, but their overall bench quality will be hinging on first-rounders AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson.
Aaron Holiday is as average as average gets as a backup, Bogdan Bogdanovic is coming off a regression last year, and Justin Holiday’s numbers can be viewed as the byproduct of chucking shots on moribund teams. Mo Harkless is not moving the needle. One ill-timed injury could unravel this bench.
Do the Hawks have better depth than the Toronto Raptors?
On the other hand, Toronto reaffirmed their commitment to experience and versatility on the bench by luring Otto Porter Jr. away from Golden State while re-signing Chris Boucher and Thad Young. Depth was an issue for them last year, but they addressed it in the offseason.
Young is going to cause problems for the Raptors, as he has done in the past. Throwing Murray into the equation alongside an excellent frontcourt will help Atlanta make the playoffs. However, Toronto may have the more complete team, as the Hawks hope that Griffin and Johnson develop quickly to cover up holes.
Cavs: Togetherness
As silly as it may sound, the Raptors chose to bring everybody back with the goal that unity could help separate them in a crowded east. Cleveland should be heralded for getting Mitchell, but they now have some big questions to answer about the state of the roster and how scoring will be divided up.
The Cavaliers need to tell two All-Stars in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen that their shots per game are going down. Evan Mobley’s shot attempts remain a question JB Bickerstaff needs to answer. The move also eroded a bench that is now being carried solely on the shoulders of Caris LeVert.
The Toronto Raptors may be more composed than the Cavs.
The Raptors can go into the season with most of their roster knowing their roles and responsibilities. While Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby might fight for some extra shots between the both of them, keeping everyone from a 48-win team together might not be the worst idea in the world.
That defensive frontcourt in Cleveland has the potential to overwhelm opponents, but the Raptors are unique in that they can lean on so many established role players who know the system. That might be all it takes to win the extra handful of games needed to become a winner.