Toronto Raptors: 2015-16 Season Outlook

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Apr 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) defend in the fourth quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 106-99, and lead the series 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Case Scenario

The newly sculpted Kyle Lowry stays healthy … and so does everyone else. Jonas Valanciunas figures out how to play defense without committing a foul every 15 seconds and blossoms into one of the East’s best centers. DeMar DeRozan finds that the key to success is penetrating more and settling less for mid-range shots he can’t make (37.2 percent from 10-16 feet, 35.2 percent from 16 feet to the arc, making up more than 56 percent of his total attempts). DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson fit into the new-look starting five and Toronto cruises to near the top of the East.

Worst Case Scenario

Patterson can’t handle the increased workload, which means Luis Scola has to take on more work than he should probably be asked to handle. Valanciunas spends far too much time parked next to Dwane Casey and staff on the bench, leaving the team with Bismack Biyombo as its low-post presence far too often. Lowry still gets nicked up and DeRozan still does his best Rudy Gay impersonation. The Raptors win the Atlantic, but wind up with a bottom-four seed because of the new playoff format as they can’t keep up with the East’s top tier of Cleveland, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta.

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