The Raptors have a powerful core
Last season was a nightmare of turnover and injury, and the Toronto Raptors were frequently forced to play lineups that did not fit well together, shoehorning players out of position and yanking guys off of the street to insert into the rotation. The team the Raptors started the year with was completely changed by midseason, and then injuries wiped out multiple starters and keyed the freefall to end the year.
Based solely on how the Raptors played last season, it makes sense to be skeptical of their chances at winning enough games to get into the playoffs. They won just 25 games and had a net rating of -6.4. They finished with the sixth-worst record in the league.
The reason for optimism, however, lies with how little time the core of the Raptors got to play with one another. Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl both missed the final quarter of the season, while Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett didn't join the team until halfway through the campaign. The Raptors' success last season was based on backups and ill-fitting lineups, not what they will play this season.
Expecting the core of the Raptors to play well together is not a wish dream, either. The four-person lineup of Barnes, Quickley, Barrett and Poeltl did play 243 minutes together last season, and in those minutes they outscored opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions, the best four-man lineup on the team by far.
That group has excellent balance on both ends of the court, and has three capable playmakers and shot creators, putting stress on defenses to stop them. With a plethora of options to fill in the final spot, including Bruce Brown, Gradey Dick and rookie Ja'Kobe Walter, that core has the potential to propel the Raptors to unexpected heights.