The current campaign of the Toronto Raptors have been a tough rollercoaster. It is their first season of playing in their home country once again after being in the bubble for the latter part of the 2020 season while playing all their home games in Tampa, Florida for 2021. It has been a welcome sight for their team and their fans, but the competition remains to be stiff in the Eastern Conference as the Raptors are currently at the seventh seed in the East.

Toronto has one of the top contenders for the coveted championship behind them in the Brooklyn Nets, while the Atlanta Hawks who reached the Eastern Conference Finals last year is struggling as well spotted at 10th place in the East. The Raptors will likely stick to the play-in tournament, which is not completely a terrible outcome because they will have two chances to clinch a playoff spot at home. Even with the lingering injuries to Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, there is no doubt that the Raptors will be a tough out this year.

Scottie Barnes will win Rookie of the Year

After the aforementioned disastrous 2020-21 season for the Raptors, they fortunately received a top four pick in the stacked and talented 2021 NBA draft. Versatile Florida State forward Scottie Barnes was surprisingly selected over Gonzaga stud Jalen Suggs at number four overall. President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri once again worked his magic by adding an underrated lengthy forward to pair with Anunoby and Pascal Siakam to have a formidable front court for coach Nick Nurse.

Evan Mobley is arguably still leading the tight race, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have been losing several games already after the All-Star break. Along with the his abysmal stretch as a team, Mobley's numbers have gone down as well, while Barnes on the contrary has the opening of increasing his production with the finger injury to Anunoby. Nurse will expect more from Barnes offensively and defensively as he has proven it instantly with a fantastic performance against the Nets this week.

As momentum is heading toward Toronto, voters may head toward giving the advantage to Barnes as his team is performing at a higher level entering the playoffs.

Gary Trent Jr will regain his touch and shoot over 40% from 3

As the Gary Trent Jr.-Norman Powell swap is looking like a massive win for the Raptors organization, Trent Jr. has been struggling over the past seven games with only two spectacular games. The five other matches have been duds for Trent as it is tough for him to be a threat on other aspects of the game if his long distance shots are not falling.

Even with this disappointing stretch, Trent Jr. will likely elevate his efficiency toward over 40% as this would open more looks for him when his teammates start becoming a larger threat as well. VanVleet and Anunoby have been in-and-out of the lineup which gives the opportunity for defenses to focus on Trent Jr.'s shooting prowess. As Toronto starts getting healthy for the toughest run of the season, Trent Jr. will blossom once again as the third or fourth option offensively as Nurse will also manufacture ways for him to tally more points every game.

Toronto can reach the 2nd round depending on its matchup

After Kawhi Leonard's departure in the 2019 offseason, this squad has been succeeding under the radar with their grit and toughness. Talent has not been a strength of the Raptors, but they could definitely spell some trouble for certain franchises in the East. For instance, a matchup against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs may head toward the Raptors way due to their vast experience at that level.

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These individuals have received championship rings already, and they thrive in containing scorers like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Moreover, the production of Nikola Vucevic will also be tough to replicate with the rugged bigs of Toronto on the fold. Another matchup wherein Toronto could flourish is against the Miami Heat because of their ability to switch a ton defensively, similar to the Heat. Miami would have a challenging time hunting for mismatches with the size and athleticism for Toronto.

For a lower seeded team to advance in the NBA playoffs, a plethora of breaks need to go their way. That is not far-fetched for a Raptors squad led by Nurse and their championship pedigree.