Toronto Raptors: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines: 1. JV Needs A Varsity Season

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the foundation of this franchise, but the 24-year-old Jonas Valanciunas was frequently pegged as the future during their rise to prominence. Without a breakout season to his name, however, those talks have sort of died down.

Over the last three seasons, JV has averaged around 12 points and just under nine rebounds per game, slightly improving those numbers in pretty much every season. Unfortunately, the growth hasn’t been quite as exponential as most were hoping, and with Lowry and DeRozan dominating the team’s shot selection, Valanciunas has yet to reach is ceiling as a 20-10 guy.

You can hardly argue with the results, since Toronto has gotten better and better over the last three seasons, culminating in a conference finals appearance last season. But with Lowry and DeRozan both enjoying career seasons in the process, it may be unlikely to expect a similar outcome in 2016-17.

With Lowry being 30 and DeRozan possibly peaking with last year’s 24-5-4 stat line, a breakout year from Valanciunas would be a great way to push the envelope in the East, or at the very least, avoid the possibility of regression.

The only problem is, Valanciunas’ defense often makes it hard for head coach Dwane Casey to trust him in late-game situations, regardless of the way he’s carried Toronto at times through their last two playoff runs. That trend may need to change with Biyombo gone, but it may also be exacerbated playing alongside a defensively limited power forward like Sullinger.

Can the Raptors alter their reliance on the backcourt and feed Valanciunas a bit more on the interior? Only time will tell, but until JV makes the leap to a varsity kind of season, the Raptors might just keep banging their heads on the same ceiling.

Next: Storyline 2: How Can Toronto Get Over The Hump?