A popular perspective in the NBA universe is that there is nothing worse than being stuck on the mediocrity treadmill, a place of limbo of being too good for the lottery, but not good enough to be real contenders. The problem with this understanding of the NBA landscape, and using it as a pillar of team building is that it’s black and white categorization of teams neglects the existence of teams like the Raptors that find themselves thickly in the in-between, the grey. A stage of limbo in its own right, this tier is reserved for teams that are clearly a cut above those that have their season ceiling set at first round exits and below, but are also unable to call themselves true contenders.
Player Preview 2016-17: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto’s $139 Million Man
