The Toronto Raptors have been a mainstay among Eastern Conference contenders. Here are 3 bold predictions for the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Toronto Raptors made a more valiant title defense last season than most would have expected. Losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green was a major blow, but rather than fold or dismantle the roster the Raptors instead finished with the league’s third-best record and lost a seven-game series to the Boston Celtics in the second round.
They went through this offseason trying to thread the needle between staying competitive and maintaining the cap space to sign a max free agent in the 2021 offseason. They brought back free agent guard Fred VanVleet, watched their center rotation leave in free agency, and formed a new one by signing Aron Baynes and Alex Len while re-signing Chris Boucher, all on modified one-year deals.
This is a team with a lot of organizational pride, as this core won the title just two seasons ago. Nick Nurse has claim to being the best head coach in the league, and their stars are prepared to go head-to-head with any team out there.
Can this team still compete in an Eastern Conference that is only getting better? Toronto’s own division boasts three other teams that could reasonably reach the NBA Finals in the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Losing Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka over the past two seasons is obviously a loss; can this team compensate to stay in the title mix? Here are three bold predictions on how this team will perform and do just that in a crowded conference mix.