Fansided

Predicting the final records of each NBA team

By Brad Rowland

CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) reacts after a call in game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) reacts after a call in game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Toronto Raptors

It is easy to forget that the Toronto Raptors were supposed to be bad last season. Toronto effectively pulled the plug on the season in trading Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings, but on cue, the Raptors went on a tear that resulted in a 48-win season and some wild playoff action in the Air Canada Centre. However, this season’s team looks remarkably like last year’s group, and there is probably regression on the horizon.

Toronto’s backcourt is the strength of its roster, and the duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan was incredible last season, with both players producing career years. Of the two, DeRozan’s breakout would appear to be more sustainable, as the 25-year-old should be entering his prime, and that was evidenced by 22.7 points per game and big-time defensive contributions last season. However, Lowry has bounced around the league for a reason, and while I am actually a big fan of his on-court game because of his tenacious on-ball defense and physical strength, the point guard has clashed with coaches and management in the past, and Toronto is leaning heavily on avoiding that trend based on Lowry’s new, multi-year contract.

The rest of the roster remains in tact, and the biggest change comes in swapping out John Salmons for Lou Williams. Williams should help Toronto off the bench if he is fully recovered from ACL surgery two years ago, and along with Greivis Vasquez, the Raptors do have nice insurance off the bench should either of their “stars” succumb to injury issues.

If the Raptors are to make a real leap from last year to this year, it will likely come from the development of Jonas Valanciunas. The now 22-year-old center averaged 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in his sophomore season, but as a former top-5 draft pick, there is some upside there, and because the rest of the roster should operate in some form “status quo”, Valanciunas holds the keys to any team-wide breakout.

Toronto soundly overachieved last season, and I simply can’t see that repeating itself. The Raptors are almost certainly a playoff team in the East, but that is the extent of where I think they are headed.

Projected Record: 43-39, 6th in East

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