New year, same Raptors
If not for the Bucks’ all encompassing dominance, the Raptors’ title defense would be the best thing going in the Eastern Conference.
Even after the departure of two-time Finals MVP in Kawhi Leonard, and enduring through all sorts of injuries involving their starters and key rotation pieces, Toronto is on track to finish with a better record than they had last season after winning their first NBA title. That’s been helped by the Raptors having compiled a 15-game winning streak that came to an end just before the All-Star break.
Since the start of the new year, the Raptors have been on par with where the Bucks have been over this same span, judging by them ranking second in net rating (+9.6 points per 100 possessions) behind the Bucks, per NBA.com/stats.
Given all the circumstances that affected them throughout the summer and going into the season, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has made his case to be this season’s NBA Coach of the Year, even as Mike Budenholzer chases back-to-back honors in that regard.
To go as far as to say the Raptors are as talented as the squad they assembled for their title-winning season last year is a bit of a stretch. With that said, plenty of the foundation from their run last season still remains and it’s been borne out on the court this season.