- Joined
- Oct 3, 2019
- Messages
- 10,139
- Reaction score
- 29,054
- Points
- 135
It's on!!! The Cavs open the 2022-23 season on the road in Toronto. The Raptors were 48-34 last season, finishing 5th in the East. They were 24-17 both at home and on the road.
Obviously there are no stats yet so here are a couple of previews I found:
The Athletic
Toronto Raptors: 46.5 wins
My pick: Under
The 2021-22 Raptors finished 16th in points scored per 100 possessions despite having the fifth-worst half-court offense. They did everything else well: attacking in transition, grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers to minimize their half-court possessions.
This season should be a similar story unless they get a huge leap from either Scottie Barnes or Gary Trent Jr. on the offensive end. Their other fundamentals are good, from the best front office in the league to a great coach and wonderful frontcourt depth, including the additions of Otto Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangomez to an already loaded group. Can they move up from 10th in defense with a healthier Pascal Siakam and improvement from their young guys? Absolutely.
Still, that half-court offense is the reason I am reluctantly picking the under.
NBA.com
Last season record: 48-34
Pace: 96.6 (27), OffRtg: 112.1 (15), DefRtg: 109.9 (9), NetRtg: +2.2 (12)
Key addition(s): Otto Porter Jr.
Key departure(s): N/A
Three numbers to know…
The Raptors committed 3.4 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents. That was tied for the best turnover differential of the last 14 seasons.
Fred VanVleet (2.82), Scottie Barnes (2.72) and Pascal Siakam (2.71) ranked first, fourth and sixth in miles traveled per game.
As rosters currently stand, the Raptors rank first in continuity, set to retain 14 players who accounted for 96% of their 2021-22 regular-season minutes.
Key question: Can they shoot?
It’s rather amazing that the Raptors had a better-than-average offense while ranking 27th in the most important of the four factors on that end of the floor (effective field goal percentage) last season.
But the Raptors took care of the ball and crashed the glass, ranking third in turnover rate and second in offensive rebounding percentage, to maximize their opportunities.
If they can continue to do that and shoot more effectively (just taking more efficient shots is part of that), they can be pretty good. Porter (56% last season) is a better-than-average shooter and Barnes (55.8% after the All-Star break) should see continued improvement.
The defense should continue to be there….As was the case last season, there are several teams in the East that have a higher ceiling than this one. But there are even more that have a lower floor.
My summary:
The Raptors don’t shoot very well but they are great on the offensive glass, ranking 2nd in offensive rebound percentage. They also commit fewer turnovers than their opponents which combined with the offensive rebounds means extra shots and an average scoring offense. Their defense is above average but not elite.
The Cavs were 18th in defensive rebound percentage, so a major key to this game will be the Cavs being able to grab the first defensive rebound and prevent second and third shot opportunities.
Scottie Barnes, who edged out Evan Mobley for ROY last year, is their top offensive rebounder at 2.6 per game. He is very physical and if LeVert or Okoro is guarding him he could wreak havoc on the offensive glass.
The Raptors also ranked 2nd in steals per defensive play, so protecting the ball will be critical. If the Raptors win it will probably be due to the Cavs losing the turnover battle and giving up a lot of second chance points.
The Raptors feature balanced scoring with five players averaging between 15-23 points per game, with Pascal Siakam leading the way with 22.8 followed by Fred Vanvleet with 20.3.
The Raptors may be a little thin personnel-wise; backup small forward Otto Porter Jr is out and backup power forward Chris Boucher is dealing with a hamstring issue and is expected to miss the first few games according to cbssports.com. Also, backup point guard Malachi Flynn broke his cheekbone in a preseason game and “his status for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Cavaliers remains unclear, but when available, he figures to garner a modest reserve role.”
If three of the Raptors top subs are not available it would definitely impact the game. If Flynn is out their backup PG is either a 25-year-old rookie, Jeff Dowtin, or a 6’7” rookie, Dalano Banton, a 2nd round pick. However, last year all five starters averaged 35 minutes per game or more - the Raptors probably rely on their bench less than almost any team. I wouldn’t be surprised if Siakam, Vanvleet, Trent, Barnes, and Anunoby all play close to 40 minutes.
Starting center Pascal Siakam is 6’9”, while both forwards are 6’7” so the Raptors will be at a height disadvantage on the front line. Gary Trent is 6’5” and Vanvleet is 6’1” at the guard spots.
Obviously there are no stats yet so here are a couple of previews I found:
The Athletic
Toronto Raptors: 46.5 wins
My pick: Under
The 2021-22 Raptors finished 16th in points scored per 100 possessions despite having the fifth-worst half-court offense. They did everything else well: attacking in transition, grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers to minimize their half-court possessions.
This season should be a similar story unless they get a huge leap from either Scottie Barnes or Gary Trent Jr. on the offensive end. Their other fundamentals are good, from the best front office in the league to a great coach and wonderful frontcourt depth, including the additions of Otto Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangomez to an already loaded group. Can they move up from 10th in defense with a healthier Pascal Siakam and improvement from their young guys? Absolutely.
Still, that half-court offense is the reason I am reluctantly picking the under.
NBA.com
Last season record: 48-34
Pace: 96.6 (27), OffRtg: 112.1 (15), DefRtg: 109.9 (9), NetRtg: +2.2 (12)
Key addition(s): Otto Porter Jr.
Key departure(s): N/A
Three numbers to know…
The Raptors committed 3.4 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents. That was tied for the best turnover differential of the last 14 seasons.
Fred VanVleet (2.82), Scottie Barnes (2.72) and Pascal Siakam (2.71) ranked first, fourth and sixth in miles traveled per game.
As rosters currently stand, the Raptors rank first in continuity, set to retain 14 players who accounted for 96% of their 2021-22 regular-season minutes.
Key question: Can they shoot?
It’s rather amazing that the Raptors had a better-than-average offense while ranking 27th in the most important of the four factors on that end of the floor (effective field goal percentage) last season.
But the Raptors took care of the ball and crashed the glass, ranking third in turnover rate and second in offensive rebounding percentage, to maximize their opportunities.
If they can continue to do that and shoot more effectively (just taking more efficient shots is part of that), they can be pretty good. Porter (56% last season) is a better-than-average shooter and Barnes (55.8% after the All-Star break) should see continued improvement.
The defense should continue to be there….As was the case last season, there are several teams in the East that have a higher ceiling than this one. But there are even more that have a lower floor.
My summary:
The Raptors don’t shoot very well but they are great on the offensive glass, ranking 2nd in offensive rebound percentage. They also commit fewer turnovers than their opponents which combined with the offensive rebounds means extra shots and an average scoring offense. Their defense is above average but not elite.
The Cavs were 18th in defensive rebound percentage, so a major key to this game will be the Cavs being able to grab the first defensive rebound and prevent second and third shot opportunities.
Scottie Barnes, who edged out Evan Mobley for ROY last year, is their top offensive rebounder at 2.6 per game. He is very physical and if LeVert or Okoro is guarding him he could wreak havoc on the offensive glass.
The Raptors also ranked 2nd in steals per defensive play, so protecting the ball will be critical. If the Raptors win it will probably be due to the Cavs losing the turnover battle and giving up a lot of second chance points.
The Raptors feature balanced scoring with five players averaging between 15-23 points per game, with Pascal Siakam leading the way with 22.8 followed by Fred Vanvleet with 20.3.
The Raptors may be a little thin personnel-wise; backup small forward Otto Porter Jr is out and backup power forward Chris Boucher is dealing with a hamstring issue and is expected to miss the first few games according to cbssports.com. Also, backup point guard Malachi Flynn broke his cheekbone in a preseason game and “his status for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Cavaliers remains unclear, but when available, he figures to garner a modest reserve role.”
If three of the Raptors top subs are not available it would definitely impact the game. If Flynn is out their backup PG is either a 25-year-old rookie, Jeff Dowtin, or a 6’7” rookie, Dalano Banton, a 2nd round pick. However, last year all five starters averaged 35 minutes per game or more - the Raptors probably rely on their bench less than almost any team. I wouldn’t be surprised if Siakam, Vanvleet, Trent, Barnes, and Anunoby all play close to 40 minutes.
Starting center Pascal Siakam is 6’9”, while both forwards are 6’7” so the Raptors will be at a height disadvantage on the front line. Gary Trent is 6’5” and Vanvleet is 6’1” at the guard spots.
