Toronto Raptors: Their early success, and why it probably won’t last
The Toronto Raptors are off to a hot and efficient start to the season, but it’s unlikely that it will last through the year
The defending NBA champions are off to a hot start this season. The Toronto Raptors have put their trust in 4th-year star Pascal Siakam and have exploded to a 7-3 start, and currently sit tied for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Preseason expectations were obviously not optimistic about the chances of a Raptor’s title repeat. Losing Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard to their respective new teams in Los Angeles seemingly left the organization without enough firepower to maybe miss the playoffs.
The champions remaining in Toronto have, so far, put that theory to rest.
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Siakam looks to have made another leap this season, he’s averaging an All-Star caliber 26.3 points, 3.9 assists and 9.5 rebounds per game. With Kawhi Leonard now playing for the Clippers, Siakam has stepped up to his new responsibility by almost matching Kawhi’s numbers from a season ago.
After Kyle Lowry fractured his thumb, Fred VanVleet has gotten the nod to play all of the starting point guard minutes (he’s played the most minutes on the team so far), and he has excelled, shooting at 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, averaging 7.7 assists and 15.8 points per game. OG Anunoby has had an increased workload as well, and even though his attempts have not gone up as much as, say, Siakam’s, his efficiency certainly has.
The efficiency is where the breaks have to be pumped, however. VanVleet’s 3-point percentage is higher than his field goal percentage. Anunoby is shooting an incredible, and unsustainable 52.8 percent from 3-point land.
The Raptors, as a team, are fourth in the league in 3’s made this season, and are second in the league for 3-point percentage, behind the perennially struggling Detroit Pistons. These numbers can be expected to even out as the season continues, and although the young core looks to have made a jump, the Raptors will still not be considered a contender.
Toronto has one signature win over the Lakers, but have struggled against the other top tier teams they have played, losing to the Bucks, Celtics and the Clippers.
The Raptors have a bright future, Siakam and Van Vleet are 25 years old and Anunoby is only 22. Toronto is on track to make the playoffs once again this season even with a young core. Marc Gasol and Kyle Lowry (who has had an outstanding start to the 2019-20 season) are on expiring contracts that could be used to trade for younger, promising players and or draft picks.
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Even though another title does not look like a possibility this season, the Raptors are a promising team of the future.