5 Toronto Raptors predictions for 2024-25 ranked from mild to scorching

The 2024-25 season tipped off last night, with a Boston Celtics beatdown and some sentimental history being made by the Los Angeles Lakers. For most of the rest of the league, including the Toronto Raptors, the season begins tonight.

Toronto will host the Cleveland Cavaliers to begin the season, replicating their opening night two seasons ago, a close Raptors win that saw Darius Garland exit with an eye injury that cost him a handful of games (he's back for revenge tonight).

Whether you read this before or after Wednesday's game, it's a long season, and plenty will happen. Here are my five increasingly bold predictions for how the season will turn out.

No. 1: Gradey Dick will be the permanent starter

The decision of who to start between Gradey Dick and Bruce Brown Jr. was taken out of Darko Rajakovic's hands when Brown needed knee surgery and will miss at least the first month of the season. Gradey Dick is being elevated into the starting lineup by default.

Will he keep the spot all year? It's a fair question, as Gradey Dick is something of a defensive liability and doesn't have a long track record of playing at a high level. His strong showing at the end of last year, however, was carried over thorugh Summer League and the preseason. It looks like he leveled up his offensive game, and that should secure him the starting spot for the entire season.

No. 2: Scottie Barnes will be an All-Star again

Scottie Barnes made the All-Star team last season as an injury replacement in a year when a lot of the usual candidates battled injuries or had slow starts to the year. He had an excellent season, but given the tumult surrounding the Raptors all season and their low spot in the standings, he wasn't a shoo-in.

If he maintains his level of play from last season, he likely won't make it this year as the task gets even harder. The prediction here is that he takes another step forward, improving his overall numbers, and that balances out what is certain to be a slow start for the Raptors facing a difficult opening schedule.

No. 3: RJ Barrett will be a finalist for Most Improved Player

RJ Barrett's time in Toronto has seen him put up career numbers. He appeared to take a leap upon arriving in town last season, scorching the nets through the end of the season and carrying that over into strong play with Team Canada and in his sole preseason game. While he could certainly just be going through a "hot stretch" it has lasted across multiple long breaks, and there is no recent evidence to suggest this is a fluke.

Our prediction is that he continues that level of play, shooting well from outside and scoring efficiently inside the arc. That will improve the Raptors' offense and give him genuine buzz for the Most Improved Player award. He won't leap high enough, or be unexpected enough, to win the award, but he will land on the final ballot.

No. 4: Toronto will make the Play-In Tournament

There has been plenty of pessimism surrounding the Raptors' final place in the standings, which is absolutely reasonable given the lack of a bench this team has and their need to land another blue chip player to this roster. The organization has been clear they view this as a rebuilding year.

Yet the reality is that the competition in the bottom half of the East is nonexistent. It would be truly surprising for the Top 9 teams in the East to finish anywhere but the Top 9, but that leaves one Play-In spot left for someone from the Toronto, Chicago, Charlotte or Detroit tier (our apologies to Brooklyn and Washington; enjoy your draft picks). The Raptors have a very thin roster, true, but the Bulls or Hornets are not bringing a deep rotation into the season either.

The Raptors will be better than many expect (assuming reasonable health) and their bench will be better than many expect. The barrier to reach the Play-In will also be very low. The Raptors will win something like 34 games and still qualify for the postseason.

No. 5: Jamal Shead will be an All-Rookie Selection

Part of the reason the Raptors' bench will be better than expected is that Jamal Shead will force his way into the rotation and never leave. He will rack up a lot of steals, he will scatter some assists and score enough points to be notivced, and his defensive impact will be noticed enough for him to be an All-Rookie selection.

That will almost certainly make Davion Mitchell expendable next summer, if not at the Trade Deadline. Shead is a defensive wrecking ball in a way that Mitchell simply is not; Davion butters his bread as an on-ball shadow, while Shead is everywhere on the court.

Final Prediction: 34-48, 10th in the East, 8th spot in the draft lottery