No one understands what the Toronto Raptors are trying to do.

Just a few years after they hurriedly traded away the remnants of the team that won them the 2019 NBA championship, the Raptors find themselves with a peculiar roster littered with players who have yet to prove that they can contribute on a winning team. They are neither here nor there and it is likely that they are going to end up nowhere with this group. 

Toronto does have an intriguing player in Scottie Barnes, but after four years in the NBA, there is still uncertainty with regards to how good he actually is. On some nights, he looks like he can be a less physical, more fluid version of two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo. On other nights though, he plays more like an empowered version of Aaron Gordon which is why so many are still underwhelmed by him.

WHAT’S NEW?

The Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram before last February’s trade deadline though he has yet to suit up for them due to an ankle injury. This means that his first game of the upcoming season is going to be his debut with the team as well.

Even without considering his injury, the trade that brought in Ingram was quite strange when considering his fit with Toronto’s roster. The Raptors already have a similar ball-dominant wing in RJ Barrett as well as two other players who need the ball in their hands to be effective in Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

Ingram drew comparisons to Kevin Durant–largely due to his wiry frame–before he entered the league in 2017. Unfortunately, he has come nowhere close over his nine-year career and is likely to never live up to this billing. He has become a second tier scorer, one who is good enough to average 20 points per game, albeit not good enough to be a primary option on a playoff team. 

It might take a miracle for this Ingram experiment to work out well on the court for Toronto, but stranger things have happened. 

BIGGEST QUESTIONS

Barnes’ ceiling is the biggest question surrounding this franchise. They committed to building around him when they traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. 

If he is indeed a superstar, he must prove it now in his fifth year. He has to show that he can not only put up lofty numbers, but impact winning and make his teammates better as well.

This is a tall order considering that the pieces on this team are far from complementary, though there is no better way to prove his abilities than by winning with this group.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

One player who could ease some pressure off Barnes and help make this situation work is Quickley. He was limited to only 33 games last season due to injuries and the Raptors struggled without him.

Quickley is an excellent shotmaker and an underrated playmaker who will be called upon to keep this team balanced on offense. If Quickley can stay on the court, Toronto might have a fighting chance of making noise in the Eastern Conference playoff race. 

It would not be surprising too if Quickley emerges as this team’s second best player and even a potential All-Star if the Raptors can somehow overachieve over the first few months of the season. 

REASON FOR OPTIMISM/CONCERN

There is no question that Toronto has talent and if they can set aside their egos to play together, a playoff run is not entirely out of the question. They are still at least three moves away from becoming a contender though, so the ultimate purpose of any postseason run would be to identify which players are worth keeping around in the long run.

On the flip side, this situation could just blow up in their faces. There are too many one-dimensional scorers on this team and not enough players known for their work on the defensive end of the floor.

Ultimately, the Raptors are likely to remain where they have been for most of this decade–at the lower end of average with not much hope for anything more.