Exhibition games are underway, the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season is nearly upon us, and the Toronto Raptors, one of the best stories all season, are perhaps the prime candidate for a Cinderella run in Orlando. It feels disingenuous to relegate a team as good as the Raptors to the Cinderella camp, but perceptions die hard, and the perception surrounding the Raptors was they were finished the second Kawhi Leonard signed with the Clippers.
Not so much.
The Raptors, who eclipsed their Vegas over/under win total of 45 with a month still to play, will begin their eight seeding games as the No. 2 seed in the East, three games up on the loss column over No. 3 Boston. It's important they maintain that spot because the falloff from the No. 6-7 seed in the East is drastic. Right now, the Raptors would play Orlando in the first round. Fall to No. 3, and they'd play the Sixers, who are damn near as dangerous a dark horse to come out of the East as Toronto.
Below is a glance at the Raptors' roster, remaining schedule and three key storylines as their Disney opener against the Lakers on Aug. 1 draws near.
Raptors roster
- OG Anunoby
- Chris Boucher
- Oshae Brissett (two-way)
- Terence Davis
- Marc Gasol
- Dewan Hernandez
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- Serge Ibaka
- Stanley Johnson
- Kyle Lowry
- Patrick McCaw
- Malcolm Miller
- Pascal Siakam
- Matt Thomas
- Fred VanVleet
- Paul Watson (two-way)
Raptors schedule
All times Eastern
- Aug. 1: Lakers, 8:30 p.m.
- Aug. 3: Heat, 1:30 p.m.
- Aug. 5: Magic, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 7: Celtics, 9 p.m.
- Aug. 9: Grizzlies, 2 p.m.
- Aug. 10: Bucks, 6:30 p.m.
- Aug. 12: 76ers, 6:30 p.m.
- Aug. 14: Nuggets, TBA
Key Storylines
Defense: The Raptors, statistically speaking, are actually a better defense now than they were with Kawhi Leonard, cutting almost two full points off their per-100 rating from last season to stand as the No. 2 defense in the NBA entering Orlando. They scramble like crazy. They'll press, trap, double, recover, and everyone is on a string. Their team defense is incredible, and with OG Anunoby back in swing they again have multiple capable defenders with length. But the playoffs often come down to one-on-one matchups and how much not having Kawhi for those high-leverage stretches and possessions will hurt the Raptors is an unknown. Either way, this team can beat just about anyone with defense. If they're making shots, they can beat anyone.
Health: That the Raptors have the third-best record in the league despite their starters having missed a combined 70 games is a massive feather in their cap. They're like the old Spurs. They just keep playing. And keep winning. Now that they've had almost five months of downtime and everyone is healthy, look out. The rest vs. rust debate is a difficult one to parse with this long of a layoff, but with a team as experienced as the Raptors, they'll take the rest every time.
Pascal the star: Siakam has proved he can excel as a No 1 option in the regular season, but doing so in the postseason is a different story as defensive schemes become more tailored and aggressive. You have to have at least one superstar to win a championship in today's NBA, and it's on Siakam to play like one if the Raptors are going to come out of the East. The simple truth is this: When people dismissed Toronto after Kawhi left, it was an indictment on Siakam. Nobody thought of him as a star. This is the time to officially prove them wrong.
