Did you hear LeBron James is back in Cleveland? And Derrick Rose has returned from injury! Stop the presses!
It’s an exciting time in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, to be sure, but those two stories aren’t the only two worth mentioning as the league’s opening day gets closer and closer. The Toronto Raptors are legit, and there is reason to think they could improve on their breakout performance last season in 2014-2015.
For starters, to state the obvious, the East is a good place to play against this season. There are only four teams from the Eastern Conference priced in the top 11 of the NBA championship 2014-2015 odds, and the Raps are tied for 10th on that list at +4,000.
But what’s more, this team, with almost exactly this roster, was 42-22 after trading Rudy Gay last season, a winning ratio that would have seen them finish 53-29 over a full season. That’s just one win less than the second-place 54-28 Miami Heat had last season.
And while the roster may not have added any marquee free agents (though James Johnson and Lou Williams will add quality from the bench), the Raptors begin the season with their best starting five in years – perhaps ever) – and can expect significant improvements from at least two of those five.
Jonas Valanciunas was a beast down the stretch for the Raps. After posting field goal percentages of under or just above 50 percent in December, January and February, the big man shot close to 60 percent in March and April. Valanciunas is just 22 and will only grow more comfortable with being an everyday NBA starter this season.
Speaking of youth, Terrence Ross was a revelation for Toronto last season and also looks poised to offer more after an eye-opening playoff campaign that saw the team lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Nets in Game 7 of the first round.
Ross was exposed in that series but has vowed to improve this season. If his 51-point performance against the Clippers last season was any indication, he has the potential to be a legitimate outside threat.