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Toronto Raptors: 5 Reasons Behind Strong Start

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) gets ready as guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and center Bismack Biyombo (8) look on while Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) looks on at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Cavaliers 103-99. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) gets ready as guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and center Bismack Biyombo (8) look on while Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) looks on at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Cavaliers 103-99. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Raptors are off a great start again in 2015-16, but here’s why it might be sustainable this time around.

Toronto Raptors
Nov 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) gets ready as guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and center Bismack Biyombo (8) look on while Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) looks on at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Cavaliers 103-99. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Coming off an ugly loss against the Indiana Pacers, there are still plenty of reasons to feel good about the Toronto Raptors.

With a 16-10 record, “We The North” sits at third in the Eastern Conference standings with early wins over the the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics AND Charlotte Hornets — teams that all cracked the top 10 in our latest NBA Power Rankings.

Could the Raptors be the biggest threat to LeBron James‘ reign over the East? It’s still early in the season, but it’s starting to look like Toronto is not a team to be trifled with.

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Of course, we’ve fallen for this act before — the past two seasons, in fact. Promising regular season campaigns of 48 and 49 wins both ended in first round playoff exits — including a four-game sweep in the most recent postseason appearance — despite having home-court advantage in both series. What’s the difference between these Raptors and their recent disappointments?

We could point to a career year from Kyle Lowry (21.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.9 RPG, 2.3 SPG, .426/.409/.882 shooting splits) and DeMar DeRozan continuing to do his thing (21.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 43.4 FG%), but giving sole credit to the star-studded backcourt would be too simple.

For a team dealing with injuries and trying to integrate a few new pieces added in the offseason, the Raptors’ solid start has been surprising. Here’s a look why Toronto has been so impressive and why it could be sustainable this time around.

Next: No. 5

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