Toronto Raptors: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season

1. Toronto will host a playoff series

This may seem obvious a year after Toronto hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. How can a championship team fail to snag a top-four seed in their conference?

With this Raptors team, confidence outside of Toronto has been hard to come by.

The impact of losing Leonard cannot be overstated. The reigning Finals MVP had the greatest season in franchise history, despite the team limiting his playing time to keep him healthy. Replacing his production is simply a nonstarter.

There were no major acquisitions in the offseason to aid Toronto’s aging core. Much bigger moves were made across the Eastern Conference landscape, almost guaranteeing a slip in the standings for the Raptors.

But not a slip to postseason afterthought or roadshow.

Toronto still has a strong core with veteran leadership coming from Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. The team will rightfully expect a full leap to stardom from Siakam. New role players Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson should fill in the gaps.

Fellow contenders in the Eastern Conference are less flawed than a year ago, but warts remain. Only a handful of teams can cite relatively similar continuity from last year.

Defending the title will be challenging. Defending home court could be as well, but these Raptors are more than capable of achieving that much.