The Toronto Raptors are in a weird position at the moment because they certainly have enough talent to compete with some of the other best teams in the NBA but they are still lacking that number one true superstar which could come back to hurt them in the playoffs.

Despite dealing with many injuries this year, and players coming in and out of the covid protocols, the Raptors have actually been pretty impressive. This was a year that many people did not expect the Raptors to be as good as they are but they have shown that they can compete with some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and they're going to continue to do that for the rest of the year and in the playoffs.

In order for the Raptors to make another NBA final and walk away with another trophy, they're going to have to avoid some major mistakes that could be made this year. Although they might not be ready to compete for an NBA title, a piece or two could come in and change that whole outlook about them winning a championship.

Let's take a look at three areas is the Raptors must avoid if they want to win an NBA title in the near future.

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Raptors Must Avoids 2022

3. Go all in

When looking at the Raptors roster, there is really no reason why they can't win an NBA championship. They have an All-Star in Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam who is a very good player, and rookie Scottie Barnes is going to be an absolute star one day in this league. What the Raptors do lack at the moment is potentially that true superstar who can really take over a game but that isn't a bad thing for them at the moment because there are many players out there who could fill that role for them at the deadline.

The Raptor saw a few years ago that if they just bring in that one-star guy, who was Kawhi Leonard, they can win a championship. They need to factor in that many of these guys who are their best players were on that championship team and if they can get a star or somebody like Jerami Grant, this Raptors team is one who can make a lot of noise in the NBA playoffs and potentially win an NBA title.

Head coach Nick Nurse always knows a way to match up against other top teams in the Eastern Conference as he does a great job against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. These are two guys who are some of the best players in basketball but since Nick Nurse knows how to contain them, the Raptors will find success in the playoffs even with their current roster.

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2. Make moves, but be smart

If the Raptors are going to make some moves, they are going to need to be very smart about what they do. Trading away any of their top guys wouldn't be a smart decision for this team but luckily they do have some tradable pieces that could get back a decent return due to them still being somewhat young and also guys who have proven throughout their careers that they can play at a high level.

They're obviously going to move Goran Dragic at the trade deadline and that is something that is favorable for the Raptors because he could get back a decent return due to him showing throughout his career that he could hit that three-point shot at a high rate.

1. Keep playing with that underdog mentality

When watching the Raptors this year, it is clear that a lot of their guys play with a certain mentality because they know that they are better than what many people around the NBA give them. Many fans and teams around the NBA for some reason do not really respect this Raptors team even though they have beaten some very good opponents this year. They still have a playoff spot despite dealing with many injuries and players in the covid protocols. They are 20-18 but it also has to be factored in that arguably their best player in Pascal Siakam was not there for many of those games.

Even when the Raptors won an NBA title, many people before they won that championship didn't expect that team to do much. That was a big reason why they were able to play as well as they did because they continued playing with a chip on their shoulder and whenever a team does that, they are a team that nobody wants to face.

This year's Raptor roster might not be as good as the one that won a championship but they do play with that chip on their shoulder and fire that they did a few years ago. The reason why they have found so much success this year is because it is clear that they don't think that anybody in the NBA respects them and they want the flowers that they deserve. If they want to continue having the same success that they have had this year, they're going to need to continue playing with that passion and drive that they have been playing with through the first half of the season.