Toronto Raptors Predictions

Last Year’s Record: 23-43

Key Losses: Jerryd Bayless, James Johnson

Key Additions: Landry Fields, Jonas Valanciunas, Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross

Player Outlooks

Centers

Jonas Valanciunas

He’s only 20 years old so I wouldn’t expect a lot right away, especially since he is pretty weak physically. He is mobile and can shoot, plus he’s a good passer for a big man. It’ll be interesting to see what this kid can do in the NBA.

Amir Johnson

Johnson improved his defense quite a bit last year and the Raptors were definitely better on that side of the floor when he was in the game. He is long and a good shot blocker, but commits too many fouls. On offense he turns the ball over too often and isn’t physical enough to score consistently in the post.

Forwards

Landry Fields

The problem with Fields is that he isn’t a good enough shooter. He still puts up points because he gets plenty of easy shots due to his offensive rebounding and savvy moves off the ball. He is a solid rebounder and a good passer. On defense he is long enough to match up with opposing threes, but struggles against quicker twos.

Andrea Bargnani

Toronto seems to be a different team when he’s on the court compared to when he’s sidelined. Last year he suffered through injuries through most of the second half, but looked much improved during the first part of the year. Even though he’s over seven feet tall, he’s better off at the power forward spot due to his mobility and his ability to shoot the midrange shot. On defense he looked a lot better last year, but his rebounding numbers are awful for a guy his size.

Linas Kleiza

Another black hole on the team, once Kleiza puts the ball on the floor his teammates should forget about receiving a pass. He does a good job of drawing fouls near the basket, but he doesn’t shoot very well from the outside. On defense the team actually did pretty well when he was on the floor, but he isn’t very quick and commits too many fouls.

Ed Davis

An athletic power forward who isn’t quite big enough to be a center, but isn’t a good enough shooter or mobile enough to give the team much offense out of the four spot. He does a good job of finishing by the rim and draws fouls. Despite his lack of size he is an above average rebounder and shot blocker.

Guards

Kyle Lowry

I really like this point guard. Last season he trailed off at the end of the season, I don’t know if he wore down or became disinterested, but his defensive effort dropped sharply. This was a surprise since he’s normally a lock down defender. Lowry was also the best rebounder at the point guard spot. On offense he has developed the outside shot and can consistently hit over 37% from behind the arc. He doesn’t take a lot of long twos, he either shoots a three or attacks the rim, where he is an above average finisher. His attacking style also draws a lot of fouls, which is a good thing since he shoots such a high rate at the charity stripe, but this style does lead to a lot of turnovers.

DeMar DeRozan

This guy needs to develop more to his game if he wants to stick in the starting rotation. DeRozan does a good job of attacking the basket and getting to the line, but he’s not a good outside shooter and is a black hole once he gets the ball. That wouldn’t be quite as big of a problem if he wasn’t so inefficient in putting points on the board. It doesn’t get much better on the other end either. Defensively the Raptors were worse with him on the floor than when he was on the bench.

Jose Calderon

Offensively he’s under-rated. He is an excellent shooter and never misses when at the charity stripe. The problem is he doesn’t have the quickness to beat his man so rarely gets to the line. The other issue with Calderon is he misses a lot of games due to injury. On defense he isn’t quick enough to guard most point guards and to say he is a liability on this end of the floor is an understatement.

Team Outlook

Dwane Casey finally got this team to play some defense last year and this year there is hope the Raptors can contend for a playoff spot. A lot of things have to go right for that to happen. The young big men need to improve quickly and Bargnani needs to stay healthy.

The offense went down the tubes last year when Bargnani went down, but this year he’ll have some more help. Lowry should help on the outside and Valanciunas has shown a lot of promise down low

If things go perfectly this team can sneak into the playoffs and make a quick exit. However, I think they are a year away from making the postseason so I expect them to be on the of last teams out looking in.

Odds to Win the NBA Finals:  250/1

Odds to Win the Eastern Conference:  125/1

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