With eight regular season games under their belt so far, the Toronto Raptors have a record of 4-4.
At .500, the team is currently tied with four other teams in their conference for the seventh seed, which is also the first of four play-in tournament spots. The key for the rest of the season is buying into a new system.
Over the summer, the team saw some faces go and a few new ones arrive. Fred VanVleet was a free agent and signed with the Houston Rockets for more money.
Coach Nick Nurse also moved on in the off-season, taking his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers to coach a superstar in Joel Embiid.
In return, the Raps received veteran point guard in Dennis Schroder, who was with the L.A. Lakers last season that made a run to the Western Conference finals.
Toronto also hired a feisty and well-respected coach in Darko Rajakovic, who was an assistant coach on the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2022-2023 season.
I believe the key to the Raptors making noise in the league starts and ends with their Rookie of the Year player.
Scottie Barnes has taken a huge step in his role on the team, from playing the ball more to playing some elite defence.
After having a rough second year in the NBA, he is putting up some enormous numbers this season that can lead to his first All-Star selection.
Barnes is averaging 22.6 points per game (ppg), 9.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. Out of seven games, he has scored at least 20 points in six of them.
Jake Leroux, associate producer for Toronto Raptors’ owner Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, says the third-year forward has not even reached the surface of his young career.
“Scottie Barnes is really taking that next step in his development and really truly becoming a number one option in the NBA,” Leroux said. “Scottie is a good story this year.”
The media sees the Toronto Raptors as a lottery team, but they beat championship contenders Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday.
It will take a while for this new Raptor team to gel, with a new coach in town and players taking on new roles. The ceiling is high.
Once this team gets a rhythm going, I can see them competing for the upper middle standings in the Eastern Conference.
Leroux says he sees them fighting for the play-in seed, but overall, this season will be a success because the future looks great.
The Raps can fight for the sixth, the seventh or the eighth spot, and with a new head coach, that would be an extraordinarily successful season.
This year is all about Scottie’s growth as the team buys into this new system under Rajakovic, Leroux said.
I like what I am seeing from this team. Let’s hope the team finds the right chemistry sooner rather than later.