Are the Toronto Raptors True Title Contenders?

What are all of the important parts of a title contender? Well, teams competing for a championship generally have veteran leadership, quality defense and a star player that can hit shots in tough playoff situations.

Upon further examination, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Toronto Raptors do not have what it takes to fight for a ring just yet, and that this group may have been prematurely put into the conversation as a team ready to take the next step.

Let’s start with the veteran leadership. While there are players on this team that have been in the league for a number of years, including stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, very few of them have quality playoff experience, let alone a championship pedigree.

None of the players on the Raptors’ roster have been to the NBA Finals; in fact, none of them have made it past the second round.

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While it is valuable to have players on the roster who have been through the process of an 82-game season several times and know how to maintain the body and mind through all of the hurdles that a long campaign brings, it is even more crucial to have veterans that have fought in important playoff games and have actually been in winning situations.

This team of young talents is still learning how to win as a collective unit, and there isn’t a player present that can show them the ropes of winning consecutive playoff series.

Next is quality defense. The Raptors are an explosive team on offense, but defensively this team is not exactly elite. Currently, the Raptors rank 18th in the league in opponents’ points per game (100.0) and 16th in defensive rating (106.3).

So while the Raptors have the second-best scoring offense in the NBA at 108.8 points per game, their defense has left something to be desired. In fact, teams rarely win the title with a defense ranked as low as Toronto’s.

Defense does in fact win championships, and when the game slows down and offense comes at a premium, it becomes vital to get stops and force turnovers in order to generate a better offensive attack.

Could it just be that Toronto’s focus is not on defense because the team as a whole is so gifted offensively? Possibly. Are coach Dwane Casey’s schemes too simplistic to excel against some of the better teams the NBA has to offer? That could be part of the problem too.

Either way, it seems that the Raptors are not yet committed to stopping the opposing team at all costs, and if Toronto wants to contend for a title, that focus will have to shift a little bit and become more balanced.

The final ingredient to a title contender may actually be present on this team, as Lowry has certainly emerged as a player that wants to carry a team on his back and head towards the promised land. This season, Lowry is putting up eye-popping numbers, especially his offensive rating of 122, which blows away his previous career high of 118.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/6/2014.

Lowry may be having a tougher time from behind the three-point line than in previous years, but he has still shown poise so far this season in big moments, and has contributed in all facets of the game, being the number one option for this Raptors squad.

More importantly, Lowry has gotten others involved and has kept control of the ball, not forcing passes or shots that result in turnovers.

In this highlight clip below of Lowry’s performance against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 2, courtesy of GD’s Extra Highlights, Lowry displays his control of the game and decision making in terms of when to shoot or pass the ball. Lowry has become a vital part of this Raptors team, and arguably one of the better point guards in the league.

While Lowry has certainly improved his repertoire even more this season, he did have some bright moments in last year’s playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets. Lowry averaged 21.1 points per game for the series, and hit some truly big shots to turn the tide in Toronto’s favor multiple times.

However, Lowry’s turnovers per game (2.9) and field goal percentage (40.4 percent) were somewhat concerning given the fact that he was supposed to be the guy that was going to take this team deep into the playoffs.

This could have been chalked up to nerves and not being bigger than the situation, which is fine for a player that only had one other year of experience in the postseason prior to last year, but he will have to learn quickly from his mistakes and be a different and more relaxed player this time around if Toronto expects to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls for Eastern Conference supremacy.

Does Lowry have the talent to be the leader in those big games? Absolutely, he just hasn’t proven himself on that stage quite yet. It will be interesting to see if things come more naturally to him this year because he has that experience under his belt.

The talent is there for this team to really have a big year and excel in the postseason. Currently sitting at 15-5, it would be surprising if this team did not win the Atlantic Division and be a top seed in the playoffs.

As long as the Raptors can get through DeRozan’s recent injury and come out of it with a decent record, then there is no reason for this team to fail and not meet regular season expectations. As for the postseason, there are still some key ingredients missing and some unproven talent that needs to step up in big game situations.

The Raptors are going to have to keep their eyes on the prize, and really focus on becoming a tougher basketball team on defense and a more controlled unit on offense, as last year in the playoffs DeRozan and Terrence Ross tended to force unnecessary shots both in the half court and in transition.

If Toronto can play like a mature team, then the sky is the limit. However, why don’t we give these players another year to figure some more things out before we give them unrealistic expectations to try and achieve?

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

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