2014-2015 NBA Season Preview: Toronto Raptors Q&A
To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA sites. Today we are joined by Brian Boake, the editor of Raptors Rapture, the Fansided Network’s Toronto Raptors blog to talk about the Raptors cast of underrated players and how they can make sure they repeat last season’s surprising success.
1. With his bulldog mentality on defense and ability to run an offense, knock down open shots and create shots for himself and others, Kyle Lowry is essentially the type of player that the Pelicans hope Jrue Holiday becomes. How fun is it to watch a player like Lowry work every night and how far can a team he leads go?
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Brian: Kyle Lowry is a delight to watch. He is a whirling dervish on the floor, with an amazing nose for the ball, as evinced by his high rebounding numbers. Kyle can hurt teams in a myriad of ways, but his most important weapon is the 3-ball. Once he’s established it early in a game, the defense is flummoxed. The Raps’ offensive spacing improves dramatically; it’s no surprise DeMar DeRozan had his best season. I don’t think there’s a limit on how far Kyle can take this team. He wants to win, and will do what it takes. (For example, it was amazing how much weight he lost before this last season. His play improved exponentially.)
2.The Raptors success was a bit of a surprise to many people last season. What do they have to do to repeat it and how can they get even better?
Brian: The most important thing for continued Raptor success was to bring back all the free agents – mission accomplished. General Manager Masai Ujiri managed to re-sign Lowry, Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez in short order. None of those three were on the market long, as they had all made it clear they wanted to return. The team now boasts a corps of experienced yet still young players deep into the second unit. Normal professional growth by third-year men Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross should translate into improved results. Of course, the Raps don’t have the millstone of Rudy Gay, ballstopper extrordinaire, who was the main reason last year’s team got off to such a wretched start. The Raps started 6-12, yet ended up with 48 wins, astonishing even themselves.
3. Amir Johnson is one of the most underrated players in the league by many casual fans. Just how good can Amir get and how important is he to what the Raptors want to do?
Brian: I’m glad you’ve asked about Amir, because he is certainly a well-kept secret outside our city, and deserves more recognition. He is the Swiss Army Knife of the Raps’ frontcourt – he’s happy to start, or come off the bench, and is effective at either center or power forward. He was strictly a banger early in his career, but can now make shots beyond the arc. I don’t think his statistics are likely to improve dramatically this season. Amir is not an elite athlete; he’s in the NBA because of his ability to think the game. Amir is also an interesting human being, who’s highly engaged with Torontonians in many activities beyond sport. Woe betide the team if they trade him – the fans might revolt in the streets.
4. DeMar DeRozan was just a teammate of Anthony Davis on Team USA this summer when Team USA won gold in the FIBA World Cup. Where do you think that experience could help DeRozan the most?
Brian: DeMar is a most respected player and person, inside and outside the locker room. He and Kyle are the team’s acknowledged leaders. DeMar would like to return to the All-Star Game, this time with at least one more teammate. However, that teammate may not be Kyle – watch for Terrence Ross to make a big step. Few players in the NBA have a higher ceiling than our starting small forward. DeMar has no ego, and will support Terrence if he shows signs of stepping up into the league’s elite.
5. What is the best case scenario for the Raptors this year? The worst? What do you see them actually doing?
Brian:
For the Raps, remaining injury-free is essential. The team was fortunate last season, and is probably due for a reversion to the mean. Happily, the team boasts a solid second unit, with the exception of the center spot. Assuming the Raps have no more than an average number of missed games from key participants, we would be disappointed with any number less than 50 in the win column. Less than 44 wins will lead to much grumbling.
I’m predicting a 52-30 season, with a repeat of the Atlantic Division title. The Raptors should be no worse than a #3 seed going into the playoffs.