Ranking 5 Raptors burning questions by how quickly we want them answered

No. 2: Are the Raptors tanking or not?

It may seem like this is a question that will take some time to sort out, and it's possible that is the case. Yet in terms of how much we want to know the answer, this one is far and away the most burning question with a bullet. In the eyes of Masai Ujiri and the Toronto front office, is this season about winning games or accumulating ping pong balls?

The allure of the NBA Draft is strong this year, with Cooper Flagg merely one of a large group of enticing future stars. During Media Day the Raptors spoke again and again about how they are in a "rebuild" and not pushing for wins. That's all fine and good, but they also held onto their veterans this summer and look like a team that will be too good to outright tank. Being mediocre isn't good enough if the Wizards, Pistons, Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Trail Blazers and Jazz are all beneath you in the standings.

The path to the 10th seed, at least, appears open to the Toronto Raptors if they want to pursue it. The path to draft position is harder to see but possible if they move off of veterans and don't maximize winning. Does a slow start influence their decision? Does an easy end to the season entice them to stay in the mix? The team is likely trying to see how the season plays out for a while before committing to a path, but that leaves fans and the players in the lurch about what the goal of the season is, and what that means for the future.

No. 1: Is RJ Barrett for real?

This question may need to wait a game or two to be answered as RJ Barrett finishes rehabbing a minor shoulder injury, but early on in the season this question needs an answer: was RJ Barrett going through a hot stretch, or has he leveled up to be a Top-50 player in the league?

Most rankings around the Internet seem to think he played well down the stretch last season and deserves to be ranked in the 70-100 range in the league, which is probably higher than he would have been placed heading into last season. Still, the way that Barrett played upon arriving in Toronto, then with Team Canada (he was fourth in the Olympics in scoring) suggests that he is an even better player than that.

An RJ Barrett who is dropping 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists while dropping in multiple 3-pointers per game on above-average efficiency is an extremely valuable player to have on the team, and significantly raises the Raptors' ceiling as a team. Giving Scottie Barnes a legitimate co-star -- with hope for Immanuel Quickley to make it a true three-headed hydra -- sets this team on a different path. They go from hunting for a star to having the star.

Will any of these questions get answered early in the season? We hope so, because we are burning up waiting on the answers.