The Toronto Raptors were faced with their first big test this early season on Thursday night. Currently tied for first place in the Eastern conference, the team has gotten out to the best start in franchise history. This is all following last year’s franchise best 48 wins and their first playoff berth in the post-Bosh era. Although the Raptors hadn’t played that great in their first eight games, with some shaky wins against Boston, Orlando, and Oklahoma City, there was a lot of optimism among Raptors fans with their 7-1 start. After all, a close game against Miami that could have gone their way if not for missed free throws and a few wasted opportunities was their only loss in the young season.
With their 7-1 record and an air of confidence in Toronto, the Raps were seemingly ready for what would be their biggest test so far in the early season; a match-up with the Chicago Bulls on US National TV. This was the first game on US National TV since 2002 and the best chance Toronto has had to prove itself to the skeptics in America about its talent in a long time, despite making the playoffs last year.
After last year’s playoff loss to Brooklyn, it was thought that the Raps had been through a tough battle and learned enough from it to be able to make some noise in the East this year. The early season game against Chicago would be the first early test for a team with hopes of contending this season. It is tough to draw too many conclusions from one game, but there were a few things that stood out in the Raptors’ 100-93 loss Thursday night.
Can Derozan make a leap this year?
DaMar Derozan made his first all-star appearance last season, his best in the NBA. Although there was some skepticism and chatter that Lowry should have been the team’s representative, Derozan was a worthy East all-star nonetheless. The combination of him and Lowry make for one of the best backcourts in the NBA, and the pair are the clear leaders and best players on the team.
Derozan is the face of the team and is expected to be a leader this season as they try to improve upon last year’s franchise year. Against the Bulls, Derozan didn’t live up to his all-star billing. He scored just ten points on 3-17 from the field, and didn’t look like himself. He has had some struggles shooting the ball early on this season, with a few good games sprinkled amongst some bad shooting games. The Raps have been winning despite his sub-par play early on. I expect him to steady his shooting woes as the season goes on, but it is in the big games against other East contenders when his team needs him the most. Against the likes of Orlando, Boston, and dreadful Philly, Toronto can survive a 4-15 game from Derozan, but if they want to beat teams like Chicago, and if he wants to be recognized as a top tier shooting guard in the NBA, he needs to play better.
Will the Raptors bench will be key to their success this season?
One of the strengths of the Raptors heading into this season was thought to be their bench, with the addition of Lou Williams and James Johnson as well as being able to keep Greivis Vasquez. They boast one of the best second units in the NBA early on this season and that will have to continue to be one of their strengths as the season continues. For a stretch during the second quarter against Chicago, the Bulls’ second unit were thoroughly outplayed by the second unit of the Raptors, and it led to a big lead for Toronto before Chicago’s started came in to close the gap a bit before halftime. James Johnson had probably his best game as a Raptor and if he can contribute alongside Williams and Vasquez, Toronto’s bench can continue to beat up on weaker second units throughout the league. If players like Derozan are struggling, it is nice to have those options off the bench, and the second unit showed they can stretch leads against Chicago. If the Raptors bench can contribute positively from game to game it will be a major factor in whether or not they can compete in the East.
Can the Raptors contain the other teams’ big men?
One of the biggest issues the Raptors had against Chicago was Pau Gasol, who scored 27 points, and basically had his way with whoever was guarding him on the block. If the Raptors’ bench depth is going to be a strength this season, their lack of size inside is a weakness so far. Aside from Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors don’t have a lot of size and length inside. They rank in the bottom third of the NBA in rebounding, and have been hurt on the glass early on this season. Against teams like Chicago who have lots of big man depth and are strong inside, this may hurt the Raptors. The guards will have to help their bigs rebounding the ball and playing help defense, which they tried to do against Gasol. Dwayne Casey has stressed defense to his team since he arrived in Canada, and he has done a good job transitioning the team over the last couple of years. Their defense has been solid so far, but the rebounding remains an issue with the lack of size up front. This is an area of concern going forward, if they are going to be playing against quality big men, especially teams like Chicago, who they could potentially face in the playoffs.
It is still early in the season and there is lots of basketball to be played. The Raptors have enjoyed success early on this season. I expect them to win their division and secure a high playoff seed. These are just a few thoughts from their first real big game of this season. It will be interesting to see how they mature and adjust as the season goes on.
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