Coming off a disastrous 2020–21 when everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong seemingly did, the Raptors were overlooked by pretty much everyone in any discussion about competitive teams in the Eastern Conference.
After a couple of weeks, the jury is still out on this team—the Raptors are 6–6—but there’s more reason for optimism in the short and long term than was initially forecast. Much of that has to do with Scottie Barnes’s global takeover, OG Anunoby’s All-Staresque leap, long/rangy/interchangeable lineups that overwhelm and the fact that Pascal Siakam (still perhaps Toronto’s best player) missed the first 10 games.