In their 20th season in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors have arrived at a place where their fans and the rest of the NBA can expect more from them than successfully completing the 82-game schedule. Last season's franchise record 48 wins and a decision to keep the core of the roster intact makes Toronto the easy favourite in the Atlantic Division and a home playoff series in the first round is expected. Fans may even dare to dream about more than that with Miami and Indiana weakened, Brooklyn aging and most of the rest either spinning their wheels or taking the wheels off in an effort to collect lottery ping-ping balls. Here, then, are 10 questions concerning the outlook for the 20th season of Raptors basketball. The Post Panel
Eric Koreen () is the National Post's basketball reporter.
Holly MacKenzie (@stackmack) is a writer for Raptors.com and chronicles the NBA for various sites and publications.
Blake Murphy (@blakemurphyodc) is a writer for ESPN-affiliated Raptors Republic, and is an NBA news editor at theScore.
Alex Wong (@steven_lebron) is co-editor of SB Nation-affiliated Raptors HQ and writes about the NBA for various sites and publications. 1. Do you believe in the merits of chemistry as much as Masai Ujiri, who barely altered last year's team?
Koreen: No, but I don't believe any of the deals handed out this summer are particularly bad. Next summer, when three starters could be due for a raise, will be the real test of what Ujiri believes in.
MacKenzie: I am a strong believer in the importance of chemistry. I'm also intrigued to see the strength of this team's chemistry as it faces a season with expectation from day one.
Murphy: Not entirely. I believe it exists, and that it can propel a team like last year's Raptors, but its intangible nature can make it fleeting. Using it as a core tenet of team-building seems somewhat risky, but the fit with this team is also on-court, not just ethereal locker room fuzzies.
Wong: I do. Chemistry is viewed as a dirty word, especially with advanced stats ruling the field of basketball analysis. But the core of this team is relatively young, and showed enough last season to warrant another year (at least) to see just exactly what the ceiling of this roster is. NBA coaches salaries
$10.0M Doc Rivers, Clippers* $7.0M Stan Van Gundy, Pistons* $6.0M Gregg Popovich, Spurs $5.0M Derek Fisher, Knicks $5.0M Steve Kerr, Warriors $4.6M Rick Carlisle, Mavericks $4.4M Tom Thibodeau, Bulls $4.0M Scott Brooks, Thunder$3.7M Dwane Casey, Raptors $3.3M David Blatt, Cavaliers† $3.0M Erik Spoelstra, Heat $2.5M Jason Kidd, Bucks
* Also serves as president of basketball operations † Plus incentives
Source: OtherLeague.com 2. How do you feel about the contract extension Ujiri gave to head coach Dwane Casey?
Koreen: It's fine. I think it might be in Casey's best interest to be a little more flexible with the team's offensive pace. However, the players work hard for Casey, which is the most important thing. His level-headedness is good for what remains a young core.
MacKenzie: It was deserved. It's a great contract for the Raptors considering what former players-turned-first-year coaches (Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher) have been agreeing to.
Murphy: He earned it. He's never been a bad coach, and while his offensive after-timeout work sometimes lacks creativity, he's generally been strong at the defensive end. If the team believes in the value of culture and chemistry, Casey's a major part of that.
Wong: There's a sense of unfinished business with this team from last year, and I think the extension for Casey shows that Ujiri wants to find out how far this team can go with him at the helm. For that reason, I'm on board with it. 3. What do you expect from Jonas Valanciunas in his third year, the last season before the Raptors can offer him an extension?
Koreen: Continued progression on both sides of the floor. I'm not sure Valanciunas will ever be a player you can dump the ball into and expect an easy bucket. I am much more interested in his development in the middle of the Raptors' defence, a huge factor for the ceiling of this team.
MacKenzie: Continued improvement. Valanciunas has gotten stronger and appears more confident than ever. Desire and work ethic have never been issues with him. It's been getting him comfortable with the NBA game.
Murphy: Valanciunas' numbers are due to rise, but the steps he can take may not show up in the box score. He's flashed better vision on the offensive end and appears to have made strides as a back-end rim protector, both of which are just as important as another basket or two on the stat line.
Wong: The one thing I'd like to find out this season is a definitive answer to the question: What is the one thing Valanciunas can do to really impact the game at all times? Is it his defence? Is it a low post game that can be relied on in the fourth quarter? Or an improving perimeter game? 4. Will Kyle Lowry be the same player that he was last year before he got his big pay day?
Koreen: Yes. I do not think Lowry is particularly motivated by money. Rather, he craves trust and respect, both of which the Raptors gave him (by giving him money). He will look to justify their faith. Only an injury, following the busiest year of his career, is a big concern.
MacKenzie: There's never any way to guarantee that any player will return to last season's form, but the goal is to fill your roster with guys who will do everything in their power to do so. Lowry will. He's playing to win, not just get paid.
Murphy: The same player, descriptively, yes. Statistically, he'll probably take a slight step backwards based on regression and, hopefully, fewer minutes. The team's leader, a two-for-one, three-nailing, end-of-game game creator? That stuff stays.
Wong: I think so. The contract year thing always felt like the SI cover jinx to me: We pick and choose when it fits the narrative. Plus, the very fact that there are people out there saying that Lowry will fall off after a big pay day means he'll have a chip on his shoulder to prove them wrong. 5. Will any Raptors make the All-Star Game this year? How about any of the all-NBA teams?
Koreen: Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will both be at MSG. Neither of them will make the all-NBA teams. Those, inevitably, will be dominated by players from out West.
MacKenzie: One of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will be in NY/BK for the All-Star Game. Perhaps both.
Murphy: I think DeRozan probably cracks the all-star team again, as it seems easier once a player already has all-star on his résumé. As a 20-plus point scorer, possibly even a 20-5-5 guy, the case will be easy to make. Lowry's slight minutes decline costs him a spot in a healthier East field, but he earns all-NBA third team by year's end.
Wong: A team has to be really good to send multiple players to the All-Star Game. While DeRozan will probably put up similar numbers as last year, I'm guessing there will be a course correction this year and Kyle Lowry will get the nod after last year's snub. I'd give an outside chance for either Lowry or DeRozan to make the all-NBA third team, although I wouldn't bet on it legally. 6. Will Tim Leiweke's departure from MLSE make any tangible difference to the team?
Koreen: Two things are worth watching: the Raptors' willingness to spend over the tax in the future, as Leiweke promised, and Drake's future involvement. We will not be able to draw any conclusions this season.
MacKenzie: After Tim Leiweke set the course, Masai Ujiri will keep them on path. I have no concerns on that front.
Murphy: Nope. He built the relationship with Drake, he landed a competent front office head in Ujiri, he helped secure the 2016 All-Star Game, and he's directing the re-brand. What else was he going to do, anyway?
Wong: The team is relatively set at least to start the season, and unlikely to make any major, franchise-altering moves in-season. So in the short term: no. I'm (blindly) optimistic Leiweke's replacement can build a relationship with Ujiri and shield him from fighting any boardroom battles with the MLSE folks. 7. Who will be the most pleasant surprise on this year's team?
Koreen: Lou Williams. About 20 months removed from knee surgery, Williams will start to resemble the Sweet Lou of old, getting the Raptors out of offensive ruts.
MacKenzie: I'd say Lou Williams for the excitement factor, but James Johnson because he addresses a team need and is already familiar with the system.
Murphy: Terrence Ross is going to take a minor step forward statistically and a major one defensively. Maybe that's wishful thinking given how important he is to the team's ultimate ceiling.
Wong: Williams. I've been impressed with what I've seen in the pre-season and having an additional scoring option in the fourth quarter will be huge for this team. 8. Who will be the biggest disappointment?
Koreen: James Johnson. His role - stopper of bigger wing players - is more niche than most are expecting. It will be difficult to find him minutes on many evenings. That changes with a meaningful injury to Amir Johnson, Patrick Patterson or Terrence Ross.
MacKenzie: Not so much a player, but a player's situation: seeing Landry Fields tweet Steve Nash with a #NervesAreCrazy hashtag didn't inspire confidence in the elbow that has bothered him over the past two years.
Murphy: Stripes. Forced into spot-duty before he was ready last season, the return of The Raptor sees the ineffective Stripes become expendable by mid-season.
Wong: Tyler Hansbrough, because the expectation he set with his first pre-season game. I'm legitimately expecting a corner three once a game. It's not going to end well. 9. Drake Night 2: Boom or bust?
Koreen: Boom. That Drake is a triple threat. They should give him Bon Jovi's banner. Or just set Bon Jovi's banner ablaze. Can we just make Drake Night 2 a bonfire? Seems safe.
MacKenzie: During the post-season, lint-rollers with an OVO logo were highly coveted items. Drake Night 2/anything/everything Drake-related is a boom.
Murphy: Boom, so long as he co-ordinates the timing with the release of Views From The 6.
Wong: Boom. But on the assumption that there's a guest appearance from Nicki Minaj, even nicer T-shirts handed out this season, and most important of all, Drake in a customized BRUNOVOXO CABOCLO sweater. 10. What will the Raptors' record be, where will they finish in the Eastern Conference standings and how far will they advance in the playoffs (if you think they will make it)?
Koreen: 44-38, fourth in the Eastern Conference and another Atlantic Division banner. They will lose to Washington in the first round, though. I'm fun at parties.
MacKenzie: 50-32, good for third in Eastern Conference. Playoffs: not sure my brain knows how to predict playoff finishes since it's still getting used to a team making the playoffs, but farther than the first round.
Murphy: 47-35. Third, possibly fourth, in the East. Second round of the playoffs. It's a win less than last season, factoring in regression from everything going right in 2013-14 and some positive development and added depth. The 50-win talk may be a little premature.
Wong: 49-33. Win the Atlantic Division, finish with the third seed and make it to the second round of the playoffs.
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