Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was an instant classic. The Spurs pulled out a 122-115 double-overtime win over the Thunder in a game that felt like the beginning of a rivalry the league could be watching for years.
The rest of the NBA should be paying close attention, including the Toronto Raptors. The Spurs and Thunder are setting the benchmark for what makes a true contender in today’s NBA.
Toronto took a huge step forward this season, but if the Raptors want to leap into the championship contender tier, they will have to answer some serious questions.
Does Toronto have a true No. 1 option?
Oklahoma City has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP and one of the most consistent scorers in NBA history. San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 alien whose force of gravity is rivaled only by the sun.
Can Scottie Barnes compete with that level of talent? He was phenomenal in this year's postseason. He averaged 24.1 points and 8.6 assists while playing elite defense. He was easily the best player in the Raptors-Cavaliers series. But he will have to show that he can play at that level every single night if he wants to be compared to the NBA's best players.
Does Toronto have enough proven contributors?
Oklahoma City’s depth is almost unfair. Sam Presti’s ability to draft rotation-level NBA players is unmatched in the league. The Thunder have 10 or 11 players who could probably play meaningful minutes on almost every other NBA team. The Spurs are not quite as deep, but they still had multiple Sixth Man of the Year candidates, including the winner of the award, Keldon Johnson.
The Raptors’ bench has a lot more question marks. Almost everyone in the Thunder and Spurs’ rotations can dribble, shoot, and defend. Toronto’s rotation players have more holes.
Jamal Shead is a below-average shooter. Sandro Mamukelashvili is not a great defender and does not create much offense off the dribble. Jakob Poeltl looked like a shell of himself. If Toronto wants to match the NBA’s elite, it will need fewer question marks in its rotation.
Now, Shead did show an improved three-point stroke near the end of the season, and Poeltl dealt with injuries all year. But this front office will still most likely need to add one or two more proven veterans for Toronto to take a leap forward.
If the front office can do that, Toronto’s young players continue to improve, and Barnes takes another leap, then the Raptors could possibly reach the NBA’s highest tier. That is a lot to accomplish. Raptors fans will have to wait and see what this team has in store.
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