Why the Raptors Will Make the Playoffs

 Hey readers, this is my first ever blog post on anything and first time attempting to write an article. 

I don't really know what I want my voice to be on here, and I don't really know what I want to write about but that's why we're on a free blog just messing around right? I wanted to start with a team that is very near and dear to me, the Toronto Raptors. 

The Raptors finished up the 2023-2024 season at 25-57, a pretty putrid record. If you just glance at their stats you would be convinced that this isn't a very good basketball team, and many people in the mainstream media agree with this stance. ESPN shows their Vegas over/under wins at 30.5 indicating the betting public doesn't expect much improvement from the team this year. I believe not only will they surpass this, but they will finish with a top 6 record in the East locking in a playoff spot.

Immediately after the Raptors pulled the trigger in trading elite wing defender OG Anunoby last season, they became a deeper team, specifically at the position they were hurting at the most, point guard. There was a 3-4 week stretch where the team looked coherent and dare I say decent. They went 9-9 during this stretch with new young PG Immanuel Quickley and veteran center Jakob Poeltl both in the lineup. Then Poeltl went down shortly followed by young star Scottie Barnes suffering a season ending hand injury and the season went off the rails. A hopefully full season of above average PG play with above average center play will work wonders for the team this season. 

In the OG Anunoby trade, former 3rd overall pick and Mississauga Ontario native RJ Barrett was included and seen by many as a throw in. I believe that RJ this year will prove to the league that he is a talent to be coveted. In 32 games last season RJ Barrett averaged 21.8/6.4/4.1 on an efficient 61.5% TS%. What was more impressive was the style of play he brought to the team. Long thought of as an inefficient volume scorer, RJ showed he can play within the flow of an offense making smart cuts and determined drives to the basket and limiting his jump shots to catch and shoot attempts. Just going off of eye test, RJ Barrett brought an ability to get to the rim that the Raptors haven't had since Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell. In the egalitarian offense that Darko Rajakovic intends to continue to implement, RJ fits like a glove and is bound to continue his breakout. 

The Raptors have also done a pretty good job of adding depth, which was sorely lacking last season. Darko prefers to have a deep rotation, frequently going to 10-11 players in a single game. To put it gently, the bench last season was not good enough. They finished the season with a bench +/- per game of -3.1, better than only tanking teams in the Hornets, Spurs and Pistons. The bench would routinely come into the game and blow leads or extend deficits leading to frustration from the fanbase. The addition of a solid NBA point guard in Davion Mitchell as well as returning late addition last year Kelly Olynyk should bring some stability to this unit. Bruce Brown, Gradey Dick both figure to factor into these units as well. Simply put, the team has more NBA caliber players today than it did at any point last season. If 1-2 of the new rookies have a breakout the team could really be cooking!

None of this gives mention to rising star Scottie Barnes who even if he doesn't take another step is a tremendous player and new leader of this young team. Masai Ujiri has never shown a willingness to lose, his teams have surprised time and time again. The roster is deeper, has players with high end upside and more shooting and diversified skillsets than opening day last year. This team is making the playoffs.

Anyway, thanks for coming along on this journey, hopefully I improve these but honestly I am just writing cause I'm bored at this point.