The Toronto Raptors didn’t do much this offseason, but they didn’t have to. After finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference last season with a relatively young group, the Raptors were mostly interested in re-signing point guard Kyle Lowry this offseason. Lowry reportedly flurted with some other teams, including the Miami Heat, but eventually re-signed. The Raptors added Lou Williams, but he is not a guy who will take this team to contention status.
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So who will?
This team is young enough that the answer could come from a lot of places. Last season, we thought Jonas Valanciunas would break out last season but it ended up being DeMar DeRozan.
Maybe the center takes the leap this season but, as Alex Kennedy of basketballinsiders.com writes, the Raptors will need someone to join Lowry and DeRozan as top-flight players if they want to contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls in the East.
"I think they’ll win the Atlantic Division, but I’d say they need their young guys to make huge strides – like DeMar DeRozan did last year – to be considered a contender. Jonas Valanciunas needs to become a dominant low-post presence at some point, which is certainly possible since he’s only 22 years old. Terrence Ross taking a leap to elite status would certainly help them as well, as you said. I like what did this summer, re-signing Kyle Lowry and adding Lou Williams, but now they need internal development to take the next step."
I like Ross’ chances. The guy is deadly for three-point range and has shown an ability to get hot and change games with his shooting. In his second year last season, Ross got a lot more playing time without Rudy Gay or Ladry Fields playing over him. Ross improved his numbers across the board. His true shooting percentage increased from 49 percent to 55.3 percent and his three-point percentage went from 33.2 percent to 39.5 percent. In his third year, he should continue on his arc.
The Raptors also have the added benefit of team chemistry. With so much turnover in the East, that could help them get out to a fast start and set them up for an advantageous playoff spot.
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