{"id":198080,"date":"2026-05-30T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=198080"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T15:35:40","slug":"toronto-raptors-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/30\/toronto-raptors-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can the Toronto Raptors Learn From the 2026 Western Conference Finals?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For quite some time, the Western Conference has been widely regarded as the NBA&#8217;s strongest conference. From <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanko01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobe Bryant<\/a>&#8216;s Lakers facing <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nowitdi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dirk <span>Nowitzki<\/span><\/a><span>&#8216;s<\/span> Dallas Mavericks in 2011 to the clashes of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a> and<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/westbru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Russell Westbrook<\/a> against <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steph Curry<\/a> in the mid-2010s, the West has a history of competitive battles. Buckets that came easy in the regular season disappear when the postseason arrives.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the future trajectory of the conference lies in the hands of the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama-<\/a>led San Antonio Spurs and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n<p>Although the series hasn&#8217;t concluded yet, with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/30\/spurs-vs-thunder-game-7\/\" target=\"_self\">Game 7<\/a> tonight at 8 p.m. ET, there are several lessons the Toronto Raptors can learn from this series. They could also incorporate some of the same schemes next year, as they look to avoid yet<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/04\/toronto-raptors-exceeded-expectations\/\" target=\"_self\">\u00a0another early postseason exit.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>What Can the Toronto Raptors Learn From the 2026 Western Conference Finals?<\/h2>\n<h3>Depth is Everything<\/h3>\n<p>The philosophy of surrounding your star player with quality pieces has redefined team-building across the NBA. If you look at recent championship teams, they&#8217;re not surrounded by a &#8220;Big 3.&#8221; The 2023 Denver Nuggets, &#8217;24 Boston Celtics and &#8217;25 Thunder have all utilized this strategy to win big. It&#8217;s just that now teams are behind, trying new ways to replicate that same formula.<\/p>\n<p>The Spurs are another example, which is why they are where they are today. Throughout the series, both teams have demonstrated the value of role players. Bench scoring, perimeter defense, 3-point shooting, and playmaking are what contenders need when droughts transpire.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"OKC Thunder put their ability to be who they are on display in the NBA playoffs | NBA on NBC\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gn6qvjQRHbo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Raptors can learn an important lesson from how San Antonio and Oklahoma City&#8217;s rosters are built. Both teams not only have depth, but have acquired high-level defenders who are not ball-dominant. They also don&#8217;t force shots when the centerpieces, like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai <span>Gilgeous-Alexander<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama,<\/a> have off nights.<\/p>\n<p>Toronto&#8217;s rotational players were promising despite a short postseason, coming in at <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/traditional?StarterBench=Bench&amp;amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;amp;dir=-1&amp;amp;sort=PTS&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=PTS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sixth for bench scoring<\/a> with 32.3 points per game. As the Queen City continues to build around <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barnesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scottie Barnes<\/a>, strengthening the supporting cast this offseason could help Toronto gain an advantage over its Eastern Conference rivals.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to underrated pieces like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murraco01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sheadja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamal Shead<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walteja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja&#8217;Kobe Walter<\/a>\u00a0and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lawsoaj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AJ Lawson<\/a>, Toronto&#8217;s promising depth was on display in the first round. Turning these players into consistent difference-makers when Barnes, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/ingrabr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Ingram<\/a>\u00a0or <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barrerj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RJ Barrett<\/a> sit is the next step in their career development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 800px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBCV7k2RJa\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3072px; aspect-ratio: 3072\/2048;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h3>Taking Advantage of Opponents<\/h3>\n<p>This year&#8217;s Western Conference Finals has been filled with themes throughout every game. However, what stands out most is how both teams have found ways to exploit each other&#8217;s weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p>In Game 1, it was <span>Gilgeous-Alexander<\/span> who struggled, shooting 7 of 23 from the field despite a 24-point night. San Antonio took advantage, finding ways to draw fouls, rebound at a high level, and knock down corner threes. OKC retaliated in Game 4, holding three of San Antonio&#8217;s key players (<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vassede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin Vassell<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/foxde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">De&#8217;Aaron Fox<\/a>, and Wembanyama) below their usual scoring averages.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of significance, this is something Toronto should pay close attention to. The Raptors&#8217; lineups over the years relied on talent, athleticism, speed and versatility. Where adjustments and execution are the deciding factors, talent is not always enough.<\/p>\n<h3>Defense Matters Most<\/h3>\n<p>The famous saying <span>\u201cdefense wins championships\u201d has been proven right once again. In spite of the countless off nights that come with the intensity of playoff basketball, defense means everything. In total, the amount of steals this series has been off the charts, with both teams combining for 119. Toronto had 64 in the first round alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span>All in all, the playoffs come down to which team can make an impact on defensive possessions. 64 steals is still high, but the Spurs and Thunder have shown that aggressive defense can change the outcome of a game. The teams that communicate, force turnovers and force shots have an advantage compared to others. As this series has shown, defense is the key to a title.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>A Game 7 loss was devastating for Toronto Raptors fans; however, improvement not only requires a willingness to change but also to learn from the best. This year&#8217;s conference finals emphasizes that &#8212; as clich\u00e9 as it sounds. Hopefully heading into next season, the Raptors&#8217; playing style looks completely different as head coach Darko R<span>ajakovi\u0107 enters his fourth year in &#8220;the 6ix.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u00a9 Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For quite some time, the Western Conference has been widely regarded as the NBA&#8217;s strongest conference. From Kobe Bryant&#8216;s Lakers facing Dirk Nowitzki&#8216;s Dallas Mavericks in 2011 to the clashes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook against Steph Curry in the mid-2010s, the West has a history of competitive battles. Buckets that came easy in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5792,"featured_media":198233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,22,34,14],"tags":[49912,49857,49324,49199,3852,1489,4669],"class_list":["post-198080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-thunder","category-spurs","category-raptors","tag-aj-lawson","tag-collin-murray-boyles","tag-jakobe-walter","tag-jamal-shead","tag-scottie-barnes","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5792"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198080"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198235,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198080\/revisions\/198235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}