Out they came again to start a game, Fred VanVleet with Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. It made all the sense in the world; they are widely considered the five best Raptors.
But they are in many ways a disjointed group of strangers, and time is of the essence to get them familiar with each other.
The five got off to a somewhat sluggish start — the Raptors gave up a flurry of transition baskets and open three-pointers to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter Wednesday night – and coach Nick Nurse knows has to get more out of them, and quickly.