The Toronto Raptors are coming into the 2021 – 22 season with minimal expectations surrounding them. They traded away franchise player Kyle Lowry, one of the clear signs of a team heading into a rebuild. Now, the Raptors are trying to build a team around integral members of their championship run and some interesting young guns.

With that in mind, let's try and make some bold predictions for the Toronto Raptors next season. Some of these will be crazy, but hey, that's what the pre-season is for!

Scottie Barnes will (eventually) start at PG

Scottie Barnes, Raptors

There was a lot of skepticism surrounding the Raptors when they picked Scottie Barnes at fourth overall in the latest NBA draft. After all, the expectation for them was to draft point guard Jalen Suggs to replace Lowry. Drafting Barnes, who virtually played the same position as Pascal Siakam, seemed like a rare bone-headed draft move by the Raptors.

As it turns out, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have been playing 5D chess while we were stuck at checkers. The Raptors' preseason games revealed to Raptors fans what the team envisioned Barnes to be: a point forward. It seems like the most natural role for Barnes, too: he's a pass-first forward who has good playmaking instincts and the audacity to throw difficult passes. The next step for him is to smooth out his ball-handling and shooting abilities. Given the Raptors' track record for player development and Barnes' enthusiasm, it seems like it's a matter of time before he develops these abilities too.

By the end of the season, expect Barnes to be starting at point guard for the Raptors. Nick Nurse will slowly ease him into this role, but it looks like it's a perfect fit for Barnes to play PG.

OG Anunoby will be the Raptors' leading scorer

Raptors, OG Anunoby

Many people are expecting Pascal Siakam to take over the primary scoring role after Lowry's departure. He was set to become the leader of the team when the Raptors handed him a max contract extension, but Lowry's presence made it difficult for him to be THAT guy. With Lowry gone, the logic is that Siakam will finally be the number-one scorer for the Raptors.

However, the pre-season showed that another young Raptor is ready to be the primary threat of the team on offense. OG Anunoby, dubbed affectionately by fans as Kawhi-lite, has taken another step in terms of his offensive skills. Last season, he showed more confidence in handling the rock, but he was still limited in his shot creation. Now, OG seems to have gained more confidence and skills, starting to hit step-back threes like it's nothing. That, combined with his upper body strength, allows him to be a high-level threat now.

If OG is able to keep up the encouraging signs we saw from him in the pre-season, he may as well become the next Kawhi for the Raptors.

The Raptors will field a top-10 defense in the NBA

Raptors, Pascal Siakam

Okay, hear me out on this one. Yes, that is a lofty goal for the Raptors. The team is pretty much a blank slate at this point, with only a few holdovers from Nurse's championship run in 2019. With a lot of new guys coming into the team, how can we expect them to hold a top-10 defense in the NBA (especially since they were middle of the pack last year)?

The answer: length. Lots and lots of length. Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam are three huge wings that can play the 2 to 4 positions when needed. The trio alone ensures that the Raptors will always have at most two good defenders on the court. The new centers, Khem Birch and Precious Achiuwa, all are agile enough to hang with guards in switch-heavy schemes. And of course, Fred VanVleet is one of the best, if not the best, point-of-attack defender in the NBA today. The Raptors certainly have the personnel to field a good defense.

The only reason why they won't crack the top-5 (and really, the only nitpick for the Raptors defense) is that they lack a burly enforcer at the 5. Switch-heavy schemes will work against teams with small-ball lineups, but against teams with traditional centers, the Raptors are going to struggle. A lot. Despite that, their combined length, defensive IQ, and Nurse's coaching chops will be enough for them to crack the top 10 in defense.

The Raptors will make the playoffs this season

Raptors, Raptors return Toronto, Scotiabank arena, Raptors 2021-22 season

Here's the thing: this Raptors team is too talented to not compete for even a low playoff spot this season.

VanVleet, Anunoby, and Siakam are three individuals with championship experience coursing through their veins. Nick Nurse does not know how to coach a team destined to lose. Goran Dragic, even at his age, is still a serviceable starter who can stabilize this team if it gets wild. Gary Trent Jr., Yuta Watanabe and Birch have a full training camp to get familiar with the system. And the newcomers (Achiuwa and Barnes) have been impressive in the post-season.

At the very least, this team can compete for that final playoff spot in the play-in. Out of the teams in the bottom half of the East last season, the Raptors are the likeliest to make a run for the playoffs. Call me crazy, but I think this team can pull it off.