How does a champion prepare for the season? Ask the Toronto Raptors

As the Toronto Raptors continue to thrive in the post-Kawhi Leonard era, let’s take a look at their regular season dominance and how they prepared for the season.

First, the Toronto Raptors accomplished the unthinkable.

They won a championship in the first and only year where they served as home to superstar Kawhi Leonard. But this season, they’re accomplishing the unimaginable.

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Toronto is playing just as well, if not better, without the superstar. Up until the league’s hiatus, the Raptors were 46-18, which is good for the NBA’s third-best record.

From Kyle Lowry‘s continued brilliance at point guard, to Pascal Siakam‘s growth into a number one option, down to Serge Ibaka, who most surprisingly has experienced a renaissance year; the Toronto Raptors are continuing a dynasty that was supposed to die eight months ago in Leonard’s exit.

Their preparation for the season started last summer in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both Lowry and Ibaka are clients of Joe Abunassar and the IMPACT basketball training facility, home to many of today and yesterday’s NBA greats, and their offseason training regimen.

I got the opportunity to speak with Abunassar, founder of IMPACT, who’s been in the industry for 25 years now about Toronto’s seemingly impossible, yet very real dominance this season.

And it all started with their championship victory in June. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, earning their first in franchise history.

Abunassar says his first correspondence with Lowry was simply a text message, congratulating the point guard on a much-deserved career achievement:

"“A text message just saying I was proud of him.  He was bombarded with texts and calls of course.  But he and I both know all the work we put in over the years for him to get there.  Wasn’t a big need to talk right away.  Just time for him to celebrate and relax.  It had been a long road and a lot of work.”"

And a long road it’s been indeed. Lowry’s career was on the brink of completion when he arrived in Toronto. Instead of falling out of the league, he’s made a name for himself as a pesky, do-it-all guard who thrives behind the intangibles.

His focus this offseason? Not overdoing it. Abunassar says the most important piece to Lowry’s training after such a long season was preparing his body for its next 82-game season:

"“Really just recovering and getting his body ready for 82 more games plus another run at the title.  Of course we have to approach things differently than when he was 22 years old, but also making sure we keep him sharp and add to his skill set.  We worked a lot of quick pull ups from even deeper range last summer along with the rest of his game.  But definitely a focus on his recovery and his body and fitness.”"

The point guard’s willingness to pull the trigger on 3-point shots has been even more apparent this year. He’s averaging a .354 clip on a career-high 8.3 attempts per game.

It’s not the first time IMPACT has served as the summer home to the reigning champs. But Abunassar says it’s less about him, and more of an ode to the progress he and the players have made together over the years:

"“It is always great to have the champs at IMPACT. We had many of the Pistons there, then the Celtics, and now the Raptors. It’s great, not so much for us, but as a tribute to all the hard work we have put in together over the years. Very special for everyone.”"

And it was champ(s), plural. Ibaka joined Lowry in Las Vegas this summer as they prepared to make another run at the Eastern Conference playoffs. The 11-year veteran has known Abunassar since he was 19 years old, well before his arrival to the NBA.

This year has been an absolute clinic for Ibaka, who’s averaging 16 points (career-high), and 8.3 rebounds on a 51/39/74 shooting split. It’s been the seven-footer’s best season from behind the arc, where he’s made 66 of his 166 attempts on his best career shooting clip thus far.

And it’s no coincidence Ibaka’s seeing newfound success from deep. Abunassar says it was his main focus this offseason aside from preparing for the new year. That’s helped boost the Toronto  Raptors to a top-10 team in all three of the 3-point categories, per NBA.com:

"“Serge did a lot of traveling and spent a lot of time back home last summer after the title. Really the same as Kyle, getting his body back together and continuing to work on his 3-point shooting and staying healthy.”"

Paying as much attention to the body is an area of focus that doesn’t become as fundamental until after years spent in the NBA. Abunassar says for veterans like Lowry and Ibaka, adjusting their training regimen and routines over the years is critical in preparing for the upcoming season:

"“Each year we have to evolve in their training and consider their fatigue level. Both guys played a lot of games and a lot of minutes last year and that stuff adds up on the body. So while we continue to train hard, we are always training smarter. Still keeping the skills sharp, but more and more attention to the body.”"

Part of that is directly tied to the timeline. When guys like Lowry and Ibaka are finishing their season as late as June, extended time off is a critical step to their summer conditioning:

"“The guys will definitely take a little more time off than if they were done in May, or even April. But once we got started, we pushed as always. Just started a little later. There is no question they needed some extra time to let the body heal. If we started too soon, it would have been counterproductive.”"

This season has left little doubt in regards to the virtue of Abunassar’s work with Ibaka, who’s having one of his best campaigns in the 11th year of his career, at age 30. When asked why he thinks the big man’s game has aged so well over the years, Abunassar simply cited his hard work:

"“Because he works so hard at it. I have known Serge since he was 19 and even before he came to the NBA. Hard work has always been his biggest strength. He worked so hard on his 3-point shooting and it’s paying off. Always working on getting better.”"

Ibaka and Lowry weren’t the only Toronto Raptors on-site at IMPACT. Abunassar also worked with undrafted rookie Terence Davis, who signed a two-year deal with Toronto in July.

As far as preparing a guy that went undrafted to play with the reigning champs, Abunassar says the approach is no different. Making the most of his already-apparent talent is the priority:

"“Really there is no difference based on whether he was drafted or not. Terence was the first player to arrive last year for pre-draft training–and his work ethic took him to where he is today. He has great size and athleticism and can really shoot the ball. So we just got him into shape and better at everything he does on the court. The future is very bright for him. We knew his role would be small, but he has expanded it over time with his play. He trained and worked very hard to get where he is.”"

And no one’s questioning the splash Davis has made in year one. The 22-year old guard is averaging 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 64 appearances–including two starts.

When asked about Davis player comparison, in both past and present, Abunassar cited two familiar names and one current teammate in Toronto:

"“I think TD can be like a Corey Maggette back a few years ago, a strong and athletic guard who can play multiple positions. Richard Jefferson and other versatile, athletic guards. I also think he is very similar to his teammate Norman Powell. He has a very bright future.”"

That being said, Abunassar acknowledged that Davis is still very young, with lots of room to improve. When asked where specifically, he emphasized three-point shooting:

"“He’s young so he can improve everywhere. I think he will continue to become a better and better 3-point shooter and expand his range even further. He is still learning the game at the NBA level and I think as he gets more and more comfortable, he will just keep getting better. So much upside. He will continue to work all areas of his game.”"

If his 3-point shot is going to be the main focus, Davis could very well become one of the league’s more reliable marksman. He’s already posting a .396 clip this season in year one. Watch out NBA.

Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and even Terence Davis have been a part of a very special season in Toronto Raptors history: one that’s not finished just yet. They’ve come from the highest point in winning a title, to the lowest in losing Kawhi Leonard.

But through it all, they are defying the odds.