After a Raptors first-round exit in 2007, Bryan Colangelo said that he wanted his team to taste more of the bitterness of defeat than the sweetness of success they experienced in returning the franchise to the post-season after a four-year hiatus.
That 2006-07 team led by Chris Bosh provided hope for sustained success as a team with a healthy mix of veterans and young players that battled hard against an experience laden New Jersey Nets with talents such as Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson.
Colangelo’s career took a turn after that, but he certainly did have a way with words and that quote is one worth remembering as this current iteration of the franchise looks to build upon a successful 2021-22 campaign but ultimately ended at the first stop of the playoff ride. So much of this roster is the same and much of training camp and pre-season has been spent arguing for the merits of continuity and chemistry but it is the ways in which they hope to be different that will define just how much this team has grown from last season.
Some comments have already tipped us on what that might look like, beginning with Nick Nurse’s hopes that this team will get to the rim and free-throw line more often on the offensive end. There’s Pascal Siakam’s words about making strides to be in the conversation of the game’s most elite players, VanVleet wanting to be recognized as a championship-level point guard, and the anticipated leaps for Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa. What of OG Anunoby? After playing at least 67 games in each of his first three seasons, he played 43 and 48 in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively. It’s hard to put any stock into the Tampa Tank season while last year had unlucky moments such as a hip pointer suffered during practice. A return to playing the vast majority of the season seems due.
Gary Trent Jr.’s improvement on the defensive end was a major surprise talking point early last season and if this pre-season is any indication, Dalano Banton looks the likeliest candidate to be the early season talk of the town. It’s evident he’s put a lot of work in on his jumper and he steadily seems to be figuring out the balance between being quick but not hurried.
Then there are the new faces, Otto Porter Jr. and Christian Koloko. While Porter Jr. fits into the mold of the versatile 6-foot-8 forward, he offers something different in terms of his penchant for knocking down the three-ball. This is a team that can be a barren desert in that regard so he’ll be a crucial piece off the bench when healthy. How much time will Koloko need with the 905 before he can be a regular rotation player? His shot blocking and size are an exclusive merch drop for this roster.
This is an Eastern Conference that is as stacked as ever. The thought that two of Boston, Milwaukee, Miami, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto, Cleveland, and Atlanta will be in the play-in is a scary one. The Raptors’ first seven games will come against five of those teams and so those potential improvements will be put to the test right away. Those X-Factors that could have a telling impact on the season may not come to fruition immediately, and head coach Nick Nurse would rather bank on what he knows is controllable when the season tips off Wednesday.
“We understand we gotta really compete,” Nurse said at practice Monday. “Those are all good teams [early in the schedule] but I think all of us will be talking about this over the course of the season [that] pretty much every night when we go out there we’re gonna have to compete to play. I think we know we can play with the best teams and we better play well against everybody. We gotta worry about ourselves, putting a super effort out there and coming at you in waves and coming at you with defence and doing our best to win any game.”
Yes, that scurrying, switch-heavy, limb-wielding defence will be much the same, if not better due to the roster continuity maintained. Toronto led the league in forcing turnovers last season and that constant effort in applying ball pressure and creating deflections is all part of the effort and energy this team will need to live up to their own expectations.
The likes of Brooklyn and Philadelphia may have more top-end talent but what the Raptors have is top-end competitive stamina. With a group that took its lumps in learning the value of each possession and the perils of playing to the level of their competition last season, tasting that bitter end should make it more likely that they will couple giving contenders a run for their money with taking care of business against the teams on the outside looking in.
Last season, Toronto went an impressive 28-22 against plus-.500 teams but only 20-12 against sub-.500 teams. For some context within the East, the 10th placed Charlotte Hornets went 25-8 against sub-.500 teams and the ninth-place Cavs were 23-9. Taking care of business against mediocre teams is going to be a must in a conference where two-thirds of it figures to be a bloodbath.
“These first 10, 20 games, we have to establish who we are as a team, we have to establish our identity,” veteran Thad Young said. “If you don't establish your identity early, then you're not gonna get the calls, you're not gonna get to decide who plays physical, you're not gonna get those plays and the refs are gonna start calling things and stuff like that because generally, they're not used to you doing it but if it’s an expected thing already then you put yourself in position to be even better.
“We just have to make sure we come out and we use our athleticism and our physical and mental toughness against everybody that we’re playing against and if we do that then I think it’s gonna be great for us.”
48 wins and a first-round exit was a strong first lap but it isn’t the measuring stick. Last year set the platform not only in what the Raptors do well but also what they don’t. With the season upon us, so much of the conversation revolves around everyone knowing exactly who the Raptors are with Vision 6’8” and the strengths of being flexible and versatile. How much further they go from what was a promising season will revolve around the ways they can be different.