The NBA’s regular season tips off Tuesday night in a potential preview of the Eastern Conference final when the defending champion Boston Celtics play host to the New York Knicks.
At some point down the road, the Raptors will have to some way ascend to such lofty status, if reaching such rarefied air is even possible for a franchise that has shown it can’t attract high-end free agents, a franchise that has shown it can draft well when the lottery balls fall their way, a franchise whose recent track record of developing players selected late in the first round has slipped.
Boston’s rise was spearheaded when the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were drafted, each selected with the third overall pick.
Both had to endure playoff failure.
Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were acquired in trades, ultimately providing Boston with the best starting unit in the NBA.
While a leg injury suffered during the NBA final will sideline Porzingis to start the season, veteran Al Horford, who was also acquired in a trade, is more than serviceable at centre.
A style of play was developed in Boston, one that features three-point shots being heaved in abundance, a pecking order established when a late-game basket is required and that ever-elusive and much-discussed sporting theme known as culture entrenched.
The Knicks’ trajectory into elite status began with the free-agent acquisition of Jalen Brunson.
Under head Tom Thibodeau, a defensive-first approach was created.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
He ran his starting rotation into the ground, but come playoff time every bench gets reduced.
The OG Anunoby trade fit perfectly into the Thibs style of play.
This past off-season, the gang from Gotham acquired a much-coveted big who can score from the perimeter in Karl-Anthony Towns, better known as KAT, and a versatile wing in Mikal Bridges.
Depth appears to be the one area the Knicks will have to ultimately address, but heading into the season they do pose as the biggest threat to Boston’s ability to repeat.
Keep in mind the NBA has not featured a repeat champion since 2018 when the Golden State Warriors were in their dynastic stage.
The East is shaping up as a 15-team conference of haves and have-nots, teams whose best days are behind them, teams with upside, teams mired in that unenviable middle ground and teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons who rebuilding.
The Charlotte Hornets at least have the potential to be entertaining given their ability to score, but they can’t defend.
No one is certain if Joel Embiid can ever stay healthy in big playoff moments or whether Paul George can stay injury free now that he has joined Embiid and Tyrese Maxie in Philadelphia.
At the same time, no one is giving the Milwaukee Bucks much of a chance to make a deep run, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo capable of dominating at both ends.
Kris Middleton has shown too much wear and tear, while the trade to acquire Damian Lillard at the expense of losing Holiday did not go well.
The mere presence of a healthy Antetokounmpo does give the Bucks a realistic shot of nailing down a top-four seed.
The second tier in the East features the likes of Cleveland, which will provide the opposition Wednesday night when the Raptors usher in their 30th anniversary season.
The Cavs figure to emerge as the wild-card team in the East after Cleveland ended last season as the No. 4 seed.
The jury is still out on whether two bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley can be on the floor together, but the Cavs will score and they do have a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson.
Indiana was fortunate to make it as far as it did last season before losing to Boston in the Eastern final.
The 47-win Pacers would also lose to the L.A. Lakers in the NBA’s play-in tournament final, for what it’s worth.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
They’ll put up plenty of points, but the Pacers still can’t defend and it’s highly doubtful injuries will strike playoff opponents like it did last spring.
The Orlando Magic finds itself in that middle tier, but it’s an ascending team that relies on defence.
The high-priced Heat can always look forward to the playoffs when post-season Jimmy Butler shines.
Getting there might be an issue for a Miami team that seems to have reached its ceiling, despite having one of the best in head coach Erik Spoelstra.
At best, Miami projects as a play-in team, which is setting a low bar.
Other teams in that group include the Chicago Bulls, who will likely hear trade rumours involving Zach Levine resurface, the Atlanta Hawks, who used the first overall pick to select Zaccharie Risacher, and perhaps even the Hornets.
The bottom tier consists of the Raptors, the Cade Cunningham-led Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Wizards.
If you’re splitting hairs, the Hornets can easily get thrown into that lower tier.
In Scottie Barnes, the Raptors do have a legitimate franchise-changing player who will need to show additional growth as he enters his fourth season.
It’s never good when a team’s core is unable to play a single game as a unit, even if it was the pre-season, because of injury or in the case of Barnes personal reasons.
RJ Barrett and first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter have yet to be cleared for contact or live play in practice, while veterans Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown are also out.
The Raptors won’t be as bad as the Nets, Pistons, Wizards and even the Hornets, but in the NBA it’s never a bad idea to be bad knowing a top pick could be had.
A repeat of the Tampa tank, which led to Barnes being taken with the fourth overall pick, doesn’t seem to be in the cards, at least to begin the season.
A date to remember is Feb. 6 when the NBA’s trade deadline kicks in.