With the beginning of the season coming right around the corner, it’s a fresh start for every team.
With that fresh start comes a flurry of questions. For a team expecting to be on the rise like the Raptors, the pressure is going to start to build. After rebuilding for almost five years now, the Raptor fan base is beginning to grow restless. Many have questions about the franchise that was once considered a powerhouse of the East.
Is Scottie Barnes the Guy?
Barnes is now entering his fourth NBA season.
The former number four overall pick has lived up to expectations with his statistics but not with team success. When drafting Barnes, the Raptors hoped they had selected the next captain to lead them out of the rebuild. However, since being drafted in 2021, the Raptors have only declined in record.
The stats seem to indicate Barnes will be the next big thing. However, stats without team success don’t do much good for a franchise. With a new five-year extension being inked this offseason, it appears the Raptors are all in on the young Swiss army knife.
Despite Barnes’ year-by-year progression, the clock is ticking on the Raptors. The front office will be facing some difficult decisions if the core of Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett don’t start to gel.
The Raptors have invested a lot of money into both Barnes and Quickley. Despite the litany of talented scorers, the Raptors are Barnes’s team. Ultimately, the success, or failure, of the Toronto Raptors will fall on Scottie Barnes.
It’s time to truly see if Barnes is the talent that can return Toronto to their former glory and bring hope back into Scotiabank Arena. If 2025 proves to be more of the same, the Raptors will be looking to make some moves next summer.
Gradey Dick–Boom or Bust?
Speaking of running out of time, the clock is going to start ticking on NBA sophomore Gradey Dick.
The front office was high on Dick going into the draft when they selected him in 2023. However, a less-than-stellar rookie season left many Raptor fans with more questions than answers.
Fans should be slow to overreact to underwhelming rookie seasons, as many players got off to slow starts. However, Dick was heralded as a three-point sniper with a quick release. But the rookie shooting guard struggled from deep his rookie year. This performance left fans speculating if his three-point artistry will translate to the pro game.
Dick only shot 36.5% from deep in 2023 and averaged a subpar 8.5 points per game. With hopefully the worst ball of his pro career behind him, a boost in both volume and efficiency from behind the arc would be huge for the Raptors’ offense.
All hope is not lost, however, as Dick had a spectacular Summer League performance in which he dropped 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Though Summer League should be taken with a grain of salt, Dick looked like the best player on the floor–period.
Dick certainly still has the potential to help return the 2019 champions to their former glory. But Masai Ujiri and the Raptors front office are notoriously aggressive in their quest for franchise success. If Dick is unable to perform up to expectations after having a year to adjust, the front office may grow impatient, and abandon Dick along with the Raptors’ first-round picks of years past.
Will the Offseason Acquisitions Pay Off?
In this past offseason, the Raptors were able to draft Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter and trade for former Kings guard Davion Mitchell. This creates a new backcourt tandem off the bench that should make an immediate impact.
The bench unit has been one of the biggest issues for the Raptors over the past few years. Toronto made a clear effort to remedy that this summer. But how will these new faces gel overall? Hopefully, the new backcourt can relieve the Raptors of this recurring issue.
But with tests against some of the league’s best right out of the gate, the time for adjustment will be very slim.
Can Toronto Overcome the First Two Months
Every team wants to get off to a hot start.
Unfortunately, Raptors fans are doubtful following the release of Toronto’s schedule. This roster has potential, but Toronto must face league powerhouses night after night to open the year.The first four games of the Raptors’ schedule feature matchups with the Cavaliers, 76ers, Timberwolves, and Nuggets. All teams that made runs in the 2024 playoffs. In fact, up to December 1st, the Raptors only play against three non-playoff teams from 2024.
What better test than seeing how the returning lineups gel against some of the best talent in the league?
Some may perceive the start of the season as an insurmountable challenge for a team with so much “potential.” But it’s time to see some of that potential translate into team success. The first few months of the new NBA season will provide answers to many of the questions Raptors fans have.
Over the past few years, the NBA has seen franchises break up “young cores” because their potential was not leading to franchise success (see the 2017 – 18 Lakers). The front office will almost certainly make moves at the deadline if this roster cannot overcome the first half of the schedule.
The Answers?
With the clock ticking, fans have many questions for this Raptors roster.
The word “potential” is thrown around a lot when it comes to the young roster in Toronto. However, potential that doesn’t amount to anything is trivial. The Raptors have a challenging road ahead and players are certain to respond. Their response will either quell the concerns of the fans and front office or unleash greater waves of criticism and uncertainty.
One way or another, the Raptors will answer these lingering questions. Fans can only hope that it’s the answer they’ve been longing for.
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