The Raptors’ first playoff outing since 2021 created some mixed feelings about the season and the team’s future.
On one hand, there’s a sense of pride for what this young team was able to accomplish. After all, the Raptors exceeded expectations in the regular season by finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference, and they defied the odds in the playoffs by pushing the more veteran Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink despite missing two starters. On the other hand, there’s a feeling of unfinished business and a hunger for more.
As GM Bobby Webster put it in his end-of-season media availability, “Both things can be true. You can sort of be proud of what you did, but also have a hunger and grit this summer to advance beyond that.”
Building on this year’s success and going into next season ready to win a playoff series will take a lot of work from the front office and players alike. Every player’s offseason workout will look different, but they should all be focused on two things: shooting and conditioning. Those were the two things Darko Rajaković mentioned in his end-of-season media availability.
The Raptors desperately need better shooting
The Raptors were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the association this season. A lack of shooting is difficult to navigate in today’s NBA, as it makes spacing difficult and makes it tricky to keep up with some of the better offenses in the league.
The Raptors were able to make up for some of those shortcomings with a great defense and successful transition offense, but excelling at just one end of the floor isn’t enough to win at the highest level. While 3-point shooting isn’t the Raptors’ only offensive issue, improving in that area would make everything a bit easier.
Hopefully, the Raptors will be able to bring in some outside help, but internal improvement will also be big, as Darko Rajaković highlighted.
“To continue to develop the offensive side of the ball with individual improvement of players on their shooting is going to be very very important for us,” Rajaković said.
A team like the Raptors needs great conditioning
Even if the Raptors can vastly improve their 3-point shooting, they won’t want to move away from what they did best: taking full advantage of their length and athleticism by playing a swarming, physical defensive style and pushing the pace on offense.
To do that for 48 minutes, your team needs to be conditioned incredibly well—especially if injuries decimate the depth, just like in this playoff run.
“All the players I talked to yesterday, elite conditioning was a premium for us. It is a premium for us,” Rajaković told reporters. “We really need to focus on that so we can sustain that, so we can be the team that’s dictating and dominating on both ends of the floor.”
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