NBA basketball is back.
The Toronto Raptors enter the 30th season in franchise history looking to forget all about what happened in Season 29, its worst campaign in more than a decade.
Whatever happens on the court — and outside expectations aren’t much higher than this team having a roughly 50/50 chance to crack 30 wins for just the third time in five seasons — there will be hoopla.
The franchise is set to celebrate the highs of the first three decades of Raptors basketball. Vince Carter’s number retirement and the alternate jersey commemorating his memorable slam-dunk contest win are just part of it. Other Raptors greats will be feted, as will the top moments, pretty much weekly.
If the team overachieves this season, all the better, but either way, the plan is to keep fans entertained one way or the other.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?
Star player Pascal Siakam was finally traded, in a deal that didn’t return much from the Indiana Pacers. Another memorable Raptor, OG Anunoby, was moved earlier to the New York Knicks for point guard of the future Immanuel Quickley and Canadian RJ Barrett.
Most of the core either got injured or suffered off-court family tragedies, so Toronto was rarely sporting anything close to its best roster for the final months of the lost season.
The result was 25 wins, but due to a prior trade to acquire Jakob Poeltl, the team’s top-10 draft pick went to the San Antonio Spurs.
WHO IS BACK?
Every key player except for shooting guard Gary Trent Jr., who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan Nwora, part of the return for Siakam, is now out of the league.
Franchise player Scottie Barnes is healthy and signed the biggest contract in Raptors history, while Quickley, a restricted free agent, signed on long-term on a large deal, as well.
WHO ARE THE NEW FACES?
Davion Mitchell, a former NCAA champion and college defensive player of the year was acquired from Sacramento and is expected to back up Quickley.
Ja’Kobe Walter, a sharp-shooter who starred in his one season at Baylor, was selected 19th overall with a selection acquired in the Siakam trade.
Jonathan Mogbo, a high-riser in the draft who played at a variety of schools and came into his own last year, was taken 31st, with a pick brought over in the Anunoby deal.
Jamal Shead was picked 45th overall and is the reigning NCAA defensive player of the year. The point guard is the University of Houston’s career wins leader, but will have to prove he can hit shots, especially from outside, to carve out a role.
Ulriche Chomche, the youngest player in the draft, went 57th and will likely get all the court time he needs with Raptors 905.
Several other prospects also received training-camp invites.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Darko Rajakovic will be in his second season as an NBA head coach and expectations will rise. Only four teams surrendered more points per 100 possessions than Toronto, only one was worse after the all-star break, so there’s really only one way to go there.
If the team can stay healthy (it would be hard for it not to be healthier than in 2023-24) it should be competitive most nights. Far too often last year the margin of defeat was nearly comical.
Offensively, Barnes needs to build on the remarkable start to his third NBA season. He shot 39% on three-point shots in his first 32 games and played at an all-NBA level. But it was 26% shooting from three in his final 28 games, with production down everywhere else too.
Quickley needs to prove he’s an above-average starting point guard after being handed a contract indicating as much.
For Barrett, it will be a matter of replicating his play upon joining the Raptors. Under Rajakovic, everything seemed to click for the Mississauga native.
How Rajakovic works in the many youngsters on board will be interesting, too. That probably starts with Gradey Dick, who looked lost early on during his rookie year, but returned stronger and more confident and played well in the second half, particularly when Barnes and Poeltl were healthy.
REASONS FOR CONCERN?
Only three of Toronto’s first 25 games are against teams that missed the playoffs last season.
The depth has already taken a hit early with Walter and Bruce Brown Jr., hurt. Quickley is a bit banged-up too (left wrist) before things even kick off.
With a draft class on the way that’s expected to have a number of high-level prospects, if things go off the rails early, there’s a chance Toronto embraces another learning season and tries to land another cornerstone at the draft to pair with Barnes.
That could mean dealing Poeltl some time in the new year, which would leave them lost defensively. Brown and Canadian big man Chris Boucher are better bets to be traded this season though.
@WolstatSun