Toronto started last season slowly. They finished 2021 with a 14-17 record, but then they really bounced back by winning 14 of their last 17 games and getting the #5 seed in the East. They struggled with injuries all season and always seemed to be missing key players, which ruined their game flow. Between Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr, O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam, the five missed 85 reg season games last year.
Given that Nick Nurse’s offensive and especially defensive schemes are very aggressive and unorthodox, Toronto’s young roster naturally struggled early on to adapt to such an unique style. The Raptors gambled on defense to seek turnovers but with that, they were susceptible to the weak side and their numbers said it all: #1 in the league at forcing turnovers but #30 at allowing corner threes. However, once their players learned Nurse’s system and became more disciplined, Toronto’s defense improved and they started to win games at a good rate. Their defense was just #22 in the league on December 31st but from then until the end of the season, they were the #5 best defense in the league.
The always consistent Scottie Barnes was the rookie of the year. He is the key for this interchangeable system. His ability to play at every position gives Nurse the chance of executing his system with success.
2022/23 Outlook:
The Raptors did not make any substantial change to their roster. With such a young core of players, the team rightfully decided to develop their young players. However, Nick Nurse really used his best players a lot last season. Siakam and VanVleet were the two players with the highest number of minutes per game played in the league with 37.9. In fact, Siakam, VanVleet, OG and Barnes all ended in the top 15 of this area last season. It’s good that they are all young and seem to handle it well, but this could still be a problem during the postseason. During the offseason, Toronto added Otto Porter Jr and Juancho Hernangomez to their roster, two forwards with size who can switch positions just like Nurse’s system needs.
The Raptors’ biggest challenge this season will be improving their offense. They have great athletes but their shooting ability seems a lot more questionable. However, note that Toronto despite being #26 in the league at shooting at the rim and #22 at shooting threes, they were still an average team on offense. If they can improve their shooting, they have the tools to be a good regular season team given that their defense should be once again good (top 10) just like they were during the second half of the past season.