The Raptors made their living on the defensive side this season. Swarming, physical defense that forced a ton of turnovers and generated easy fastbreak buckets allowed them to make up for some of their offensive shortcomings. A lack of shot creation in the halfcourt matters much less when you force miscues or bad shots and just get out and run.
Nevertheless, Darko Rajaković sees the Raptors’ defense getting even better next season if they can address one key area.
“We did a good job this year with defense and the way we’re guarding the ball. I think us having more of a paint protection is something that we can take a look at,” Rajaković said in his end-of-season media availability on May 5.
The Raptors allowed 48 points in the paint in the regular season, which was eighth-best in the league—a solid place to start that leaves some room for improvement. Some of that improvement may come if the Raptors can find an upgrade over Jakob Poeltl at the center position. He had a down year as a rim protector, averaging only 0.9 blocks per game in the postseason and 0.7 in the regular season.
In the playoffs, the Raptors allowed the Cavaliers to score 46.6 points in the paint over seven games, which was tied with the Lakers for eleventh among playoff teams.
The Raptors were a very effective defense overall
There is always room to improve and grow, but the Raptors’ defense was very effective overall. They finished the regular season fifth in defensive rating, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Boston Celtics. Two of those teams are recent champions, the Spurs have Victor Wembanyama, and the Pistons finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. That’s great company to be in.
The Raptors also forced the second-most turnovers with 17.3 per game. Only the Houston Rockets forced more. Toronto also finished sixth in blocks per game and fourth in steals.
The Raptors also need to take some significant steps offensively
The real challenge this season will be to improve the Raptors’ offense through offseason additions while not jeopardizing the team’s defensive identity. The Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III, for example, would be a player who would address the Raptors’ shooting issues and provide length and defense at the same time.
The Raptors may also be in the running for some bigger names, like Jamal Murray if the Nuggets are open to such a drastic change, or even Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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