The Toronto Raptors may have lost Kawhi Leonard in free agency, but they still have that competitive spirit that helped them win their first-ever championship next season. And even without the reigning Finals MVP, the team still plans to remain competitive this season, and head coach Nick Nurse has indicated that he plans to have a different set of starting lineups for next season, with only Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Pascal Siakam as the regular players in their starting unit.
To little surprise, Nurse says he sees the starters being fluid this year. "I think there's a big group of guys that could start a number of games." The first 3 names he mentioned – Lowry/Siakam/Gasol – figure to be regulars but he also brought up Ibaka, VanVleet, Norm, OG, McCaw
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) September 29, 2019
Gasol and Siakam will definitely form two-thirds of the Raptor's frontcourt, with OG Anunoby expected to be Leonard's replacement as the team's starting small forward. Lowry will also be a lock to start at point guard, and it's possible that Fred VanVleet will be his primary backcourt partner.
But as Nurse has mentioned, they could try several options throughout the course of the season. Serge Ibaka and Norman Powell could also get an opportunity to start, same with VanVleet and Patrick McCaw.
The Raptors aren't expected to win a second straight championship, but the team has made it clear that they are going to compete for a playoff spot. Even without Leonard, Toronto is confident with what they can do as a team, and since they were able to keep the majority of players from last season's roster, they remain pretty optimistic with their chances to succeed this season.
Training camp is underway, and over the next couple of days, we should have an idea as to who'll be included in their starting five.
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