What a season it has been for the Toronto Raptors. After spending the entirety of the 2020 ā 21 season away from Canada, the team has found a way to recover from that awful season. The drafting of Scottie Barnes, as well as the rejuvenation of Pascal Siakam, has helped the team become one of the better teams in the league again this season.
After struggling to start the year due to a myriad of injuries, the Raptors have found themselves at the middle of the conference in fifth place. With a playoff spot locked up, it's fair to wonder what the ceiling of this squad can be. Here are a few reasons why the Raptors are dark horse favorites in the Eastern Conference.
3 reasons why Pascal Siakam, Raptors are dark horse favorites in the Eastern Conference
Pascal Siakam, All-NBA contender
The last two years have been pretty rough for Pascal Siakam. In 2019, the Raptors forward was enjoying a career year, earning All-Star honors that year. However, the COVID pandemic slowed him down significantly, and he was a shell of himself in the bubble. Then, in the following season, Siakam would be plagued by injuries, as he failed to find any semblance of consistency.
This season, it looked to be more of the same, as Siakam was injured to start the year. However, when he started to play again, it was clear that something was different with himā¦ in a good way.
Pascal Siakam has truly become one of the NBA's toughest covers on defense, as the Raptors forward is a matchup nightmare. Slower forwards get blown by, while smaller wings get abused in the post. However, there's one big factor in Siakam's elevation from good to great: his playmaking.
Siakam's playmaking has been decent in his career, but an inability to correctly punish double-teams was his biggest problem. This year, the Raptors forward made a concerted effort to improve his passing game. Now, teams can't easily double Siakam and hope for the best, since he'll always find the open man. He's making a case to be part of the All-NBA team with his insane performance this year.
The supporting cast, stepping up to the plate
It's not just Pascal Siakam who's been phenomenal for the Raptors this season. Throughout the year, many players have stepped up and proved their worth to the team. Their top-8 rotation is just as good as any other team in the Eastern Conference.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby are two key pieces from the 2019 Raptors championship core, and their experience has been invaluable. FVV has been a clutch machine for the team, as well as a calming presence on offense. When he's healthy, Anunoby has been the lock-down defender of the team, shutting down their opponent's top scorer.
Their closing lineup is finished by an unlikely duo (for different reasons): Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes. Coming from Portland with a reputation for being a scorer, Trent Jr. has surprised Raptors fans by providing a spark on defense alongside his hot shooting from the outside. Meanwhile, Barnes has been arguably the Raptors' best player at times, doing a little bit of everything on both sides of the ball and earning ROY votes in the process.
Off the bench, Chris Boucher has settled into his role as an energizer big who provides great help defense and shooting from deep. Precious Achiuwa has carved out a role as a versatile switching big man with decent (albeit streaky) range from the outside. Khem Birch, Dalano Banton, and Malachi Flynn have all done decently as well, while new addition Thaddeus Young stabilized a shaky Raptors bench with his veteran presence.
The Raptors have a bunch of serviceable players who can fill many roles. That's something that
Matching up well against the top
The playoffs are based entirely on matchups. If you play a team you're ill-equipped against, you're bound to lose. This is why teams often prioritize having different looks, in order to compensate for potential weird matchups. The Raptors are perhaps the team best equipped to match well against the best teams in the East.
The Raptors have gained notoriety for having multiple long-limbed forwards in their roster. OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwaā¦ you get the drift. This roster construction allows the Raptors to adapt against most teams, regardless of what lineup they trot out. It also helps that Nick Nurse's scheme fully utilizes his defense's length, using heavy closeout and crisp scrambles to throw off opposing offenses.
The Raptors match up well against both the Heat and the Celtics, as seen with their 2-2 record against both teams. The Sixers in theory should be a bad matchup for the team, but history shows that Nurse has done well countering Joel Embiid's presence. The Bucks, on the other handā¦ are a surprising 0 ā 3 to the Raptors, including a game where all three All-Stars for Milwaukee played.
It's definitely not going to be easy, but the Raptors have the talent to make it out of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The team is coming together at the right time, and their chemistry is at an all-time high. At the very least, no team will want to face Toronto in the playoffs, lest they risk being an upset story.
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