With the World Cup over two weeks ago, DNA of Sports is starting its traditional presentation, franchise by franchise, of the upcoming NBA season. Like every year, this takes the form of a countdown, from the teams expected in the depths of the ranking to our favorite for the title. Today, place in Toronto.
“ No soul, no cohesion. » Thus expressed Masai Ujiri last April to describe the season of his Raptors, whose perfectly balanced record (41 victories – 41 defeats) did not allow them to do better than a “play-in” qualification. Only to be eliminated by the Bulls, despite being behind them in the standings.
Consequence of this premature exit: Nick Nurse, one of the strong men of the 2019 title, was fired after ten years of service, as assistant then “head coach”. A few weeks later, the Canadians said goodbye to another figure of this glorious epic and one of the main offensive animators of the team, Fred VanVleet, who could not refuse the astronomical contract placed on the table of the Rockets.
Result: if Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby or Scottie Barnes are still there, Toronto seems launched into a reconstruction. Very partial, we agree. We imagine that the architect of this squad wants to give himself one last chance with this homogeneous group which does not lack young talents but perhaps a real hierarchy.
By recruiting Darko Rajakovic, who is getting his first head coach position but who is an experienced assistant, Masai Ujiri seems to be leaning towards the development of his youth, the poor use of which he has criticized Nick Nurse for in the past. The success of the Raptors will undoubtedly require a rebalancing of the rotations and, above all, great seasons for the three executives mentioned above. Otherwise, reaching the playoffs seems illusory…
SUMMER MOVEMENTS
Arrivals: Dennis Schroder (Lakers), Jalen McDaniels (Sixers), Garrett Temple (Pelicans), Darko Rajakovic (coach)
Departures: Fred VanVleet (Rockets)
PLAYER TO WATCH: DENNIS SCHRODER
The news of his arrival, in the moments following Fred VanVleet’s departure for Houston, may not have aroused great enthusiasm among Raptors fans. But since last July, Dennis Schroder’s popularity has undoubtedly moved upwards at home.
The German leader is indeed coming off a brilliant World Cup from which he left with the gold medal, as well as the trophy for best player of the competition. A perfect summer in short. The whole challenge is to know if he can transpose his success, now usual, on the international scene in the Great League.
One thing is certain, he will regain the position of full-time starting point guard and will be expected to be one of Pascal Siakam’s main offensive supports. And why not more? At 30 years old, and after missing the boat for the first time with the Lakers, he will be able to show his maturity and leadership qualities displayed in the selection.
Average age: 27 years old
Payroll: $166 million (17th)
THE IDEAL SCENARIO
The Raptors are starting this season without any real pressure in terms of results. As a result, the group regains enthusiasm, like Pascal Siakam who continues to increase his statistical performance to keep his invitation to the All-Star Game. Alongside him, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes, released, both reached a milestone and this trio of interchangeable players posed numerous match-up problems for their opponents.
To showcase this beautiful world, Dennis Schroder enjoys finding his automatisms directly under the orders of a coach he has known since his time at OKC, Darko Rajakovic.
The German finds the same type of leadership that he was able to display in the selection while the veterans of the team (Thaddeus Young, Garrett Temple, etc.) play an important role in the locker room to support the emergence of young talents (Precious Achiuwa, Malachi Flynn), more mobilized than during the Nick Nurse era.
With Gary Trent Jr. in great form in the outside shooting and the valuable contribution of rookie Gradey Dick in the field, the Canadian attack finds new life and surprises many big teams. Result: Toronto manages to return to the playoffs without even going through the “play-in” box.
THE WORST SCENARIO
This season in the form of a crossroads quickly delivers its verdict. After around twenty matches, Masai Ujiri makes up his mind: this group centered around Pascal Siakam is too limited to hope for anything other than a soft stomach. The departure of Fred VanVleet caused damage both in the game and in the locker room. Crowned with his world title, Dennis Schroder tries to force the hierarchy but above all vampirizes the Raptors’ game.
Pascal Siakam is struggling to find his way and Darko Rajakovic, weakened by the lawsuit brought by the Knicks, is experimenting a lot in his rotations, without managing to find the right formula. His team displays its limits, with an external address always problematic, Dennis Schröder not being particularly effective in this area.
As the trade deal approaches, seeing his Raptors plateau around 12th place, Masai Ujiri chooses to get rid of the expiring contracts of players who still have an interesting market value, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr and especially Pascal Siakam. This time Toronto is taking the turn towards complete reconstruction.
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||
| 15 – Blazers | 14 – Spurs | 13 – … | 12 – … | 11 – … |
| 10 – … | 9 – … | 8 – … | 7 – … | 6 – … |
| 5 – … | 4 – … | 3 – … | 2 – … | 1 – … |
| EAST CONFERENCE | ||||
| 15 – Hornets | 14 – Pistons | 13 – Wizards | 12 – Magic | 11 – Raptors |
| 10 – … | 9 – … | 8 – … | 7 – … | 6 – … |
| 5 – … | 4 – … | 3 – … | 2 – … | 1 – … |
