Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking top East teams following key free agency deals
By Adam McGee
4. Toronto Raptors
There won’t be many instances in NBA history where the defending champions could be ranked in the middle of the playoff pack in their own conference for the following season but, then again, the Raptors didn’t have a run of the mill summer.
The loss of Kawhi Leonard will almost certainly see the Raptors fall out of the bracket of genuine contenders, as the combination of the Finals MVP’s shot-making and defense was central to their success in 2018-19.
Still, it’s not impossible for the Raptors to remain highly competitive, or even a little better.
Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol‘s professionalism and pride acts as solid reason to think the Raptors could put up a better defense of their title than most expect, but by the same token any drop off from either aging former All-Star would likely prove terminal for Toronto’s hopes of a playoff run.
Beyond the veterans, the NBA’s Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam now has a chance to unleash his game at an entirely new level. It remains to be seen if he can do that, and what Siakam looks like in a much more central role, particularly while drawing attention of the opposing team’s best defenders.
It’s not impossible that he can break out and excel in that capacity, but for the Raptors to really factor into conversations at the top of the conference, it will be a necessity.