NBA: Reasons for all 30 teams to be optimistic heading into 2021-22

Toronto Raptors: Longest team this side of Syracuse

I really don’t know what to expect from a Kyle Lowry-less Raptors team this season. They still definitely have some good players and maybe the best coach in the NBA, but that’s a big loss for that franchise.

But what we can and should expect are some very fun small-ball lineups involving all of their long wing players. A guard combo of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent next to a small-ball frontcourt of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes should be, if nothing else, interesting to watch. There’s a good chance that Toronto’s lineup versatility will be quite a headache for opposing teams to match up with.

Sacramento Kings: Guard play

The Kings will need a lot of things to go their way in order to compete for a playoff spot in 2021-22, but one thing that should be rock-solid is their guard play.

Sacramento can deploy a 4-man guard combination of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, and Davion Mitchell. All of them are quality players in their own right, but the fact that they all possess profoundly different skill-sets should allow for quite a bit of versatility in style of play based on the combination of guards who are on the floor. The rest of the roster may not be ready to win, but the guards should be a fun watch every night.