In my effort to get back into writing about basketball, I’ll be looking at some NBA teams which have captured my interest this offseason. I’ll start with my favorite team, the Toronto Raptors.

The Toronto Raptors are a team close to my heart. I’ve cheered for them ever since I learned what a rebound was. Unfortunately, that was at the tail end of the Vince Carter era. Ever since Vince chose graduation over Game 7, the Raptors haven’t exactly been a team on the rise. Chris Bosh provided a diversion for a few years, but he was never a true franchise player. This prolonged lack of real hope is why this summer has been so exciting for me. After adding a coach before last season who actually seemed capable of both motivating the players and executing a solid game plan, Bryan Colangelo has provided Dwane Casey with real talent to play with. The Raptors traded for Kyle Lowry and signed Landry Fields and enigmatic big man Jonas Valanciunas, and by sending a lottery pick to Houston, they’ve asserted that this season is for real, and the playoffs are the goal. In a revamped and top-heavy Eastern Conference, finishing as one of the top 8 teams will be tough. Toronto’s main asset will probably be their depth at nearly every position.

At point guard, as long as Jose Calderon is on the team, the Raptors will have one of, if not the best point guard combinations in the league. Kyle Lowry is one of the best defenders and rebounders in the league at point guard, and his offensive game has been underrated for a while because of his talented teammates. In Toronto, Lowry will have more of an opportunity to show off his efficient shooting, and his ability to pressure the ballhandler without sacrificing position and outrebound his counterpart should drastically improve Toronto’s defense – especially when he replaces a defensive sieve in Jose Calderon. Speaking of Calderon, he now gets to move to the bench. After a mini-renaissance that saw him post the second best A:TO ratio of his career and bounce back from a poor shooting year, he’ll get to play against backup defenders as he works with Amir Johnson, with whom he’s developed serious pick and roll chemistry, and Jonas Valanciunas, who’s become known for his talented pick and roll play. Being able to play fewer minutes will also allow Calderon to maintain his health and legs throughout the year. Of course, there’s a good chance Jose gets traded away sometime during the season. If so, John Lucas III will move into the backup point guard role. I’m not nearly sold on JL3 after just one season of serviceable play. However, his preseason play is starting to convince me he can play a stopgap role when counted on.

The wing position – that is, shooting guard and small forward – is where the Raptors will have the most trouble. Despite drafting a shooting guard in the first round two times in the past four years, and signing Landry Fields to a starter’s contract, Toronto still hasn’t really found any stability at the 2 and 3. DeMar DeRozan has the athleticism needed to be a star, but it’s unclear whether or not he’s skilled enough to be more than a tertiary scorer. He’s playing for restricted free agency this year, and he’ll either have to dramatically increase his efficiency, score more without sacrificing efficiency, or improve other facets of his game. DeMar has never been a great defender, passer, or rebounder, but if the Raptors want to make noise late in the season, he’ll need to prove himself worthy of a fat contract. Terrence Ross is a rookie, and will probably only be relied upon to learn Casey’s defensive schemes and provide 3 point shooting off the bench, although as the season progresses, don’t be surprised to see him push DeMar for playing time. As for Fields, I’ve become more and more convinced Colangelo actually wanted him for his merits, not just to screw New York out of getting Nash. If Fields can approach a happy medium between his rookie and second seasons, produce average shooting from the perimeter, defend, and rebound, I’ll consider his signing a success.

In a league that’s increasingly growing more perimeter oriented, the Raptors are (aptly) dinosaurs, in that their greatest strength is depth and versatility in the frontcourt. Andrea Bargnani is the biggest name on offense here. He may be the only big guaranteed consistent minutes, if only because he can create offense for himself. Assuming Bargnani plays 32-35 minutes a game, that leaves 60 or so minutes for a host of other players. Obviously, the most important of these is Jonas Valanciunas. His play in the Olympics indicates that he’ll have foul trouble in the big leagues, as is normal for a rookie big man, but he will also need to acclimatize himself, and that will require playing time. Dwane Casey will have to balance his rookie’s need to learn on the job with his front office’s desire to make the playoffs. The primary backups at the big spots should be Ed Davis and Amir Johnson. These two players have been jockeying for position for the last two years. They’re both athletic, defensive minded power forwards, although Amir masquerades as a center sometimes, and they’re both potentially playing for a future job. Amir Johnson’s contract keeps him a Raptor for a few years at least, but he remains one of the main candidates for the amnesty provision. Ed Davis, on the other hand, is going into his third season without a guarantee that he’ll be on the team next year. It’s up to these two to show they can bounce back after underwhelming performances last year. The bench is rounded out by Aaron Gray, who will probably provide spot starts at center, contribute excellent per-minute rebounding numbers, and become a fan favorite; Linas Kleiza, who will mop up a few minutes a game as a backup small forward and smallball power forward, but who’s biggest contribution will be helping Jonas adapt to life in North America; and Dominic McGuire, a recent pickup who’s usefulness lies solely in his ability to defend multiple positions at an above average to elite level.

The man who will try to make this roster work to the tune of a playoff spot is Dwane Casey. Casey had one of the most underrated coaching seasons in recent memory last year, as he took a Raptors team which had been last in the league the previous two years in defensive rating to 14th overall, without any real additions to the roster. In fact, Toronto was the best non-playoffs defensive team in the league last season. Casey’s task now will be to improve the Raptors offense while maintaining the improvements on defense. He has been provided with upgrades at point guard, small forward, and center. It remains to be seen how well he’ll do in his first “real” season. My prediction for this upcoming year is a scrappy offensive team that relies on fast breaks and offensive rebounds for a large fraction of it’s points, and a swarming defensive team that takes it’s cue from it’s point guard. That might be enough for the 8th seed; in fact, I’m a Raptors fan. The hell with it. I say they make the playoffs this year. Why not?