Toronto Raptors: 3 big questions heading into 2019-20

2. Are the young prospects ready to step up?

There’s room for some of Toronto’s best young players to step up this season. That starts with Siakam.

Siakam, of course, took a major step last season in his development. He arguably supplanted Lowry as the second-best player en route to earning Most Improved Player accolades. The Cameroonian forward was the first player in franchise history to secure the award.

What comes next is key. Of the active players who won the award, all but two went on to become All-Stars (and one of those two is CJ McCollum, who would’ve been an All-Star by now if he played in the Eastern Conference).

Some of the game’s biggest stars — Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and Giannis Antetokounmpo come to mind — have won the award in recent years; patterning his development off those players could lead to great things for Siakam.

He’s not the only one who needs to take another step forward, though. This will be a big year for OG Anunoby as well. The guard appeared on his way to a solid sophomore season, albeit one missing a big leap forward.

Then, appendicitis hit. Anunoby missed the entirety of the playoffs, though he did dress for some of the NBA Finals. He’s entering a big year where he’ll have to prove he can contribute offensively, in addition to continuing his stellar defensive development.

Other young players to pay attention to are Fred VanVleet and new addition Stanley Johnson.