It has been a while since a Toronto Raptors season arrived with this little fanfare. Few expected much last season — and not much is what they got — but there at least was some buzz ahead of the 30th season in franchise history, with Vince Carter’s jersey set to be retired and the history of the Raptors primed to be celebrated all year.
But this autumn? Pretty much crickets. That’s not surprising, given the run that has taken the Toronto Blue Jays all the way to the World Series and because the market-leading Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing for about a month now.
So, what do you need to know about this edition of the Raptors? Glad you asked:
THE BACKGROUND
Toronto is coming off two years of rebuilding under head coach Darko Rajakovic. The ledger reads 25 and then 30 wins, but Rajakovic has managed to bring along some young players and install a new positive team culture that they will take into the season, which begins Wednesday night in Atlanta and continues with the home opener Friday night against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (it’s possible the start time could be moved up so it doesn’t go head-to-head against the Blue Jays).
They enter the campaign nearly fully healthy, with only talented rookie Collin Murray-Boyles (forearm) and sophomore Ja’Kobe Walter (illness) out for Wednesday, which is a nice change from the 2023-2025 stretch that saw the Raptors constantly ravaged by injuries.
WHAT’S CHANGED?
The most notable move, and one of the biggest in Raptors history, actually came off the court. After 13 seasons, team boss Masai Ujiri was pushed out. After a search, it was decided that Ujiri’s long-time chief lieutenant, general manager Bobby Webster, would be elevated to head of basketball operations, which we’d argue was the right decision.
The biggest addition was actually around last season, he just didn’t actually get on the hardwood. That would be Brandon Ingram, the one-time No. 2 overall draft selection and all-star, who has finally fully recovered from a serious ankle injury suffered while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
Ingram looked excellent in the pre-season, showing zero rust and all of the talent that has made him one of the most respected pure scorers in the NBA for years now. For a team that has not been good on offence and has desperately needed a top option who can create and convert his own shots, Ingram on paper is a perfect addition.
Murray-Boyles was taken ninth overall in June and has uncommon strength and defensive smarts for a rookie and is ready to step in and carve out a role off the bench right away once he gets healthy.
Sandro Mamukelashvili was signed as a free agent and also looked strong in the exhibitions. Billed as a backup centre or power forward who can stretch the floor by hitting three-pointers, the former Spur also showed he can rebound, pass and even put the ball on the floor a bit and attack the basket.
HOW DO THEY STACK UP?
The good news for Raptors fans is the Eastern Conference flat out stinks. The season would already be over if Toronto was in the West. They’re not, and instead can take advantage that two of the best teams in the conference will be hobbled. Boston won’t have MVP candidate Jayson Tatum for all or most of the year, while Game 7 of the NBA Finals loser Indiana will miss star point guard Tyrese Haliburton due to the injury he suffered during that run (plus the Pacers lost Myles Turner to free agency and Boston moved off a number of talented players from their old championship core to save money).
Cleveland remains a power, New York will be good, and Orlando looks strong, but beyond that, it’s unclear if any other team in the East is actually any good. Wednesday’s opponent, the Hawks, look decent, but there’s a chance, with good health, Toronto makes the playoffs outright as a Top 6 seed. At worst, it’s hard to imagine them not hosting a play-in game.
KEY QUESTIONS
Can Ingram stay healthy? This is the issue with Ingram. Since playing 79 games as a rookie, the former Duke star has never played in more than the 64 he managed two seasons ago (to be fair, two of those years were shortened by 10 games due to the pandemic). He’s battled a number of issues for a long time and has been one of those players you just get used to seeing in street clothes from time to time. Still, none of the issues have been chronic, the ankle has been billed good to go and Ingram has a chance to change some narratives in Toronto and get back to the playoffs, where he starred for the Pelicans against the Phoenix Suns in one of his two trips.
Can franchise player Scottie Barnes make more shots? Barnes is a 30% career three-point shooter and it was down to 27% last season. That’s not going to cut it. He does many other things at an all-star level and just needs to be passable as a shooter for Toronto’s offence to work.
Can Immanuel Quickley stay healthy? We’re going here again, because Quickley is really talented, but has missed way more games than he’s played since being traded to Toronto from the Knicks. There’s no replacement for Quickley on this roster, just like there isn’t one for starting centre Jakob Poeltl.
Will there be a big trade? The Raptors enter just over the NBA’s luxury tax and there’s almost no chance things stay that way through the conclusion of the regular season in April (the tax isn’t calculated until then). You simply don’t pay the tax for a team that would be celebrated merely for winning 50% of the time and various Raptors owners have only paid the tax once in three decades. That means someone will probably have to go. RJ Barrett’s name gets bandied about for various reasons, but that would be a bigger move. I’d expect something smaller like a trade of Ochai Agbaji, an impending free agent on a team loaded with young wings, or something else.
Who wins said logjam battle? Gradey Dick, now entering his third season, seems to have run with the job as first wing off the bench. Dick looked improved in the exhibitions, burying shot after shot, moved well off the ball, hustled and looked more confident. Agbaji was good too and Walter had his moments. With Barrett and Ingram set to play big minutes, there aren’t a ton to go around.
@WolstatSun
