Why the Raptors could be a nightmare opponent in the playoffs

During a seven-year stretch from 2014 to 2020, the Toronto Raptors were an elite Eastern Conference team. From top to bottom, front office executives to the arena staff, the organization set a standard and an expectation.

“Believe in this city. Believe in yourselves,” Masai Ujiri once famously said.

It may be tough to do that in an Eastern Conference where the separation between the first and eighth seed has more to do with off-court drama than actual basketball. And by that account, the eighth seed as we speak is the Brooklyn Nets, who have yet to deploy point-forward Ben Simmons with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of which could be playing home games soon.

But nonetheless, the East is deeper than it ever has been, and the Raptors, although overlooked, are a big reason why. The standard was set the day Ujiri was hired to take over basketball operations in 2013. He took the franchise to new heights, leading the organization’s most successful run and risking it all to win the 2019 NBA championship – a risk worth the reward.

Three years later, Ujiri isn’t satisfied and neither is Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby. All three were younger and developing when the Raptors won that ring, which could be argued was a gift and a curse for them at that stage of their careers.

A championship isn't just a one-time gift.

You have that experience, you know what it takes to get there, and it’s at that exact moment you become a proven commodity in the NBA. Charles Barkley has coined the phrase “keep gettin’ them cheques” for older players who stick around well past their respective primes. When a player has a ring to prove their worth, cashing cheques is that much easier. Plus, retiring with the highest honour is something only a small percentage of players can lay claim to.

It's a curse because winning that early, especially with an everlasting “win-now” mindset, sets a high bar and raises expectations.

It's amazing how Toronto has watched names like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry grow into the big-timers they are now. The city should find more pride in adding VanVleet, Siakam, Anunoby and Scottie Barnes to that list. Ultimately, it’s the shift in accountability that’s the biggest difference in Toronto’s quest for a second championship.

VanVleet is the unquestioned, no-nonsense alpha. Siakam is imperative to what the Raptors do on both ends of the floor. Although not having played a second of that championship run, Anunoby has become one of the league’s premier two-way wing players.

As for last season, Barnes would almost certainly be donning another uniform had it not gone awry. When head coach Nick Nurse mentioned Barnes would have a “huge role,” most didn’t expect the rookie to be thrust into the starting lineup, playing 30-plus minutes a night with a presence in late game situations. It’s uncommon for a young player to be in those situations, but the front office and coaching staff knew what Barnes brought to the table well before anyone else did.

With three quarters of the season behind us, Barnes is often mentioned in the race for Rookie of the Year, and his spectacular play has received league-wide attention. His future is bright, as evidenced by his numbers. (All statistics are per-game averages and based on lineups with a minimum of 18 games played, from NBA.com.)

• 15.0 points (4th)

• 7.6 rebounds (3rd)

• 3.3 assists (4th)

• 1.1 steals (5th)

• 0.8 blocks (6th)

• 6.0 FGM (2nd)

• 49% FG (4th) *min. 7 FGA

• 35.4 minutes (1st)

Barnes’ combination of size and versatility is crucial for the Raptors and dangerous to other teams. The roster as constructed has an unorthodox makeup, which is why game-planning against Toronto is a nightmare. The bench is streaky and the best lineup includes VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Barnes, Anunoby, and Siakam. Although only starting 18 games together, here’s how that five-man lineup compares to others league-wide:

• 37.4 points (4th)

• 14.2 rebounds (6th)

• 7.9 assists (5th)

• 3.0 steals (2nd)

• 1.8 blocks (3rd)

• 13.8 FGM (3rd)

• 30.2 FGA (4th)

• 4.7 3PM (4th)

• 38.2% 3P (13th)

• 16.6 minutes (4th)

Seeing as how the same five starters played over 50 minutes in a triple OT thriller against Miami, it’s completely within the realm of possibility to think they’ll be leaned on heavily in any potential playoff series. Should that be the case, the Raptors could be outworked if facing a team deep team. On the other hand, this is not the same organization it was 10 years ago when there was no sense of direction.

If the playoffs started today, these teams would round out the top 10:

• Miami

• Milwaukee

• Philadelphia

• Chicago

• Boston

• Cleveland

• Toronto

• Brooklyn

• Charlotte

• Atlanta

The Raptors have a 14-13 record when facing these teams. Of the 27 games, VanVleet missed seven, Anunoby has missed 10, while Trent Jr., Siakam and Barnes were all absent for four. That’s 29 missed man games against potential playoff foes and as previously mentioned, the starting lineup has had just 18 games to build chemistry.

Included in these 27 games is the 45-point thrashing in Cleveland on Boxing Day, which included Yuta Watanabe logging career-highs in literally every single category. That’s an outlier simply because four of the eight players deployed that night were on 10-day contracts.

The bigger picture is that Toronto simply has the means to contend with any of these teams. As it stands, the Raptors are positioned as the seventh seed and with the season winding down, along with the uncertainty of who’s available, the team might still occupy that seed when the playoffs begin.

Teams in the Eastern Conference playoff picture have made it clear they’re not playing around. However, there’s still no clear distinction between the pretenders and contenders. One thing that’s clear is the poise this Raptors squad has shown. They simply won’t lay down and take a beating just because “experts” predict it.

Come playoff time, the Raptors will be the most annoying team and it’s absolutely by virtue of their persistence and resistance to simply go away.

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