Not many outside of the Toronto Raptors fanbase are particularly high on this team headed into the season. However, I believe the fact that the Raps are so loaded with quality defenders is going to give them a pathway to truly shocking a lot of teams over the course of the next six months.
In a recent interview with Andscape's Marc J. Spears, Brandon Ingram voiced his feeling that this Raptors team can take the Eastern Conference by surprise this season.
“This team can be whatever we want it to be,” Ingram said. “We have everything on the defensive end. We play hard. The next thing is execution over and over again on the offensive end ... The East is wide open this [upcoming season]. We have a chance to be better, but we’ve got to expedite it.”
I think most Raptors fans would agree with Ingram that this team absolutely has some growing to do on the offensive end. But with that said, their surplus of quality defensive players is going to without doubt give them a fighting chance in a wide open conference.
Toronto has a plethora of plus defenders on its roster
Think about it. Toronto can boast plenty of size on the wing, deflection artists in the backcourt, and all things considered, a relatively high-level group in the starting five. That could be all this team needs to outdo expectations and follow in the footsteps of a team like the Houston Rockets from last season.
I also think the Raptors are going to have an element of surprise working in their favor this season as well. The fact that no one expects them to be a serious contender in the East means that teams aren't going to be as prepared for them as they are for some of the more typical suspects.
That will allow Toronto to come out and play their brand of basketball every night, competing with hard-nosed defense in the half court and leaning on Ingram and Scottie Barnes to do much of the scoring and playmaking offensively. The Raptors can place an emphasis on deepening their rotation in order to maximize their defensive output.
Overall, it feels like the Raps could wind up in a sneaky good position this coming season without many outside of the fanbase recognizing it. Ingram said it best: there's a lot to learn when it comes to offensive output, but the blueprint for being a winning team is already there with the personnel and gritty style of play on defense. Don't be surprised to see Toronto prove everyone wrong and end up playing into the second half of April or even May this season.