4 very bold predictions ahead of Raptors’ 2023-24 season
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors are finally ready to kick off the 2023-24 season in grand style, as they have tried their best to erase the issues from last season that plagued them and are ready to turn things around properly. After a 4-0 preseason, the good vibes around Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam are back.
Toronto has put themselves in a position to delay what some consider to be an inevitable rebuild as they lean on new head coach Darko Rajakovic and trust his new-look offense to set his teams apart in what promises to be a very tight arms race in the Eastern Conference.
Rather than being down in the dumps when it comes to analyzing the team’s prospects for the 2023-24 season, there’s reason to anticipate the Raptors shocking the world, getting production from a collection of promising young talents, and making some strides in a positive direction.
These bold predictions may sound a bit bombastic at first glance, but considering how nothing went as anticipated during Nick Nurse’s final season with Toronto, they could easily come to fruition if the Raptors manage to hit the ground winning during a difficult early stretch.
4 very bold predictions before the Toronto Raptors’ 2023-24 season.
4. The Raptors win 45 games and earn the No. 7 seed
The Eastern Conference is a complete mishmash of teams that could either compete for a postseason spot or bottom out. That uncertainty might be enough for the Raptors to pick up a few extra wins and put themselves in a prime position for yet another postseason spot.
Toronto brought back most of the roster that won 48 and 41 games over the last two seasons, the latter of which came in a season from hell where everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Why couldn’t some fresh faces and additions by subtraction have a positive impact?
Will the Toronto Raptors win more games this season?
While Nurse can flash his championship ring in the face of anyone who doubts his ability, and Fred VanVleet has proven to be a phenomenal defender and passer, the combination of Nurse’s abrasive nature and VanVleet’s methodical blogging negatively impacted the half-court offense.
Not only has VanVleet been subtracted from the equation, but Toronto will get an entire season of Jakob Poeltl. Toronto went 15-11 with Poeltl last season. If Rajakovic is everything he’s supposed to be from a schematic point of view, the offensive improvements could lead to some significant improvement.