Raptors by the numbers: Toronto in good company after first month

Because of a road-heavy schedule to start the season and the assimilation of four regulars to the rotation, the Raptors entered 2015-16 tempering early expectations. Don’t expect a torrid start like last season, they said. It’s going to take some time for the new guys to settle in, they said. With an 11-7 record through the first month of the season, they’ve absolutely exceeded those expectations.

Sure, the Raptors didn’t lose their seventh game until Dec. 22 last year (29 games), but they were winning playing an unsustainable style. Their offence was overly reliant on isolation plays and was masking serious defensive deficiencies that they couldn’t overcome late in the season and in the playoffs. The shot-making went away and they couldn't stop anyone on the other end. That shouldn’t be a concern this time. Newcomers DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Luis Scola, and Bismack Biyombo have fit in seamlessly and Kyle Lowry is back performing at an All-Star level after falling apart physically down the stretch last season.

The offence isn’t producing the same eye-popping results – they were third in offensive efficiency in 2014-15, scoring 108.1 points per 100 possessions – but the drop-off really isn’t all that significant. Considering the team focused primarily on defence during training camp and the ball still isn’t moving as much as they would like (only 51.3% of Toronto’s made field goals have come off an assist) they’re still scoring 103 points per 100 possessions, which puts them in a tie for seventh in the NBA.

All that attention paid to team defence in preseason is paying off, too, as the early returns have been terrific. The Raptors are 10th in defensive rating, allowing 99.5 points per 100 possessions. After finishing 23rd in that category last season, the stark improvement can be attributed largely to two factors: the addition of premium defenders in Carroll, Joseph, and Biyombo and the decision to switch to a less aggressive pick-and-roll defence that encourages opponents to shot long two-pointers. Having a top-10 offence and defence in terms of efficiency is seen as the benchmark for being a complete team. The Raptors are one of three teams to be in the top 10 in both categories. The other two? Golden State and San Antonio. That’s some mighty fine company to keep.

Toronto isn’t taking advantage of inferior competition, either. They’ve earned quality wins over Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Indiana, and the Clippers, and while moral victories don’t count for anything in the standings, they hung tight on the road against the seemingly unbeatable Warriors. The Raptors also gutted out a win over the Wizards thanks to a Joseph buzzer-beating three-pointer in their first meeting against Washington since being on the wrong end of a first round sweep.

Another reason for optimism: just six of the Raptors’ first 18 games were at home. With nine home games in December and no road games outside of the Eastern Conference, here’s a good opportunity to rack up a few wins and climb up the standings. Heading into Monday’s games they were fifth in the East.

The Raptors may not have as good a record as they did at this time last year, but there’s much more to be excited about going forward. Any time you land on a list with the Warriors and Spurs, you have to feel good about where you’re at as a basketball team.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr