The Toronto Raptors Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Toronto Raptors to win the Atlantic Division: +700
Toronto Raptors to win the Eastern Conference: +2500
Toronto Raptors to win the NBA Championship: +10000
Toronto Raptors Total Win Prediction: Total 48.5 (Over -130, Under +100)
The Toronto Raptors experienced a relatively good campaign last year as they finished in the 3rd place in the East and recorded 51 victories. They did a great job to bounce back in the opening round of the playoffs and win three games in a row to knock out the Milwaukee Bucks, who had a 2-1 lead in the series. However, the Raptors were no match to the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers who swept them in the next round.
The situation is not great in Toronto at the moment because they lost some important players and failed to bring in adequate reinforcements. They did sign a deal with C.J. Miles, but with DeMarre Carroll’s, Patrick Patterson’s, and PJ Tucker’s departures the Toronto is looking weaker than in 2016/17, and I am not convinced they will have an easy job to enter the first six teams in the Eastern Conference. Their starting lineup is quite strong, but the second unit is awful and not good enough to complement the starters.
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The 2017/2018 Toronto Raptors Roster
Arrivals: Justin Hamilton, KJ McDaniels, C.J. Miles, OG Anunoby, Lorenzo Brown, Alfonzo McKinnie, Kennedy Meeks, Malcolm Miller, Kyle Wiltjer.
Departures: DeMarre Carroll, PJ Tucker, Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson.
The Toronto Raptors selected OG Anunoby with the 23rd pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the English-born Nigerian will serve as the No. 3 option at the small forward position behind C.J. Miles and Bruno Cabocio. Anunoby player college basketball with the Indiana Hoosiers and in 2016/17, he averaged 11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 spg, and 1.3 bpg in 25.1 mpg. The 20-year-old will have a good chance to make an impression in his rookie season as I don’t think Cabocio is a better player so OG can end up as Miles’ backup. Cabocio averaged just 4.4 minutes per contest last year, and Anunoby seems like a more suitable option at the SF spot at the moment.
Lorenzo Brown returned to the NBA after spending the previous year in China, but the 27-year-old guard will not be in the first plan this season as he signed a two-way contract with Toronto and their G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He could enter the rotation in case Delon Wright or Fred VanVleet suffers an injury, and that could also happen to Kyle Lowry, who missed 22 games in 2016/17. Alfonzo McKinnie was undrafted in 2015, and he signed a deal with the Raptors this July, but I don’t believe he will get any playing time and will serve as an emergency backup forward. The 24-year-old doesn’t have required quality to compete in the world’s best league and should be happy with the fact that he actually penned a contract with an NBA team. Kennedy Meeks is another undrafted player, but he failed to enter the draft in 2017, unlike McKinnie. Meeks played college basketball with the NCAA champions the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2013 to 2014, but it’s hard to expect that the 22-year-old center will receive significant minutes on the floor as Toronto already have three players to cover the center spot – Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl, and Lucas Nogueira. Malcolm Miller spent the 2016/17 season in Germany for Alba Berlin, but he signed a two-way contract with the Raptors and their G-League affiliate and will likely spend this year with the Raptors 905. The 24-year-old small forward will have a tough time to break into the rotation, and he is considered as an emergency backup option for 2017/18. Kyle Wiltjer moved to Toronto following his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, where he appeared in only 14 matches and failed to make his mark. I don’t think Dwane Casey will seriously count on him, so Wiltjer must patiently wait for his chance.
Justin Hamilton arrived from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade, along with a future first-round pick and a future second-round pick, while DeMarre Carroll went the other way. However, the Raptors waived him the following day and the 27-year-old center is now looking for a new team to join. KJ McDaniels joined the Raptors as a free agent after his contract with the Brooklyn Nets expired this summer. The 24-year-old shooting guard represented the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets before Brooklyn, where he averaged 6.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg in 20 matches in 2016/17. At the moment, McDaniels is listed as the No. 3 option at the SG position, behind DeMar DeRozan and Norman Powell. The only player with a solid NBA career who came to Toronto this offseason is C.J. Miles. Miles signed a multi-year deal with the Raptors and became a direct replacement for departing Carroll. The former Utah Jazz forward averaged 10.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg for the Indiana Pacers last year, and he will be the starting small forward for the upcoming campaign. The 30-year-old is an exceptional shooter and can help with important threes and solid defense.
|
PG |
SG | SF | PF |
C |
| Kyle Lowry | DeMar DeRozan | C.J. Miles | Serge Ibaka | Jonas Valanciunas |
| Delon Wright | Norman Powell | Bruno Cabocio | Pascal Siakam | Jakob Poeltl |
| Fred Van Vleet | OG Anunoby | Lucas Nogueira | ||
Cory Joseph left Toronto after two years and joined the Indiana Pacers as a part of C.J. Miles trade. The 26-year-old point guard was a useful backup to Kyle Lowry last year, averaging 9.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 3.0 rpg (all career highs) in 25.0 mpg, and the Raptors will definitely miss him because they don’t have a good PG that will complement Lowry this time around. Patrick Patterson moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder following his four-year stint with the Raptors. The 28-year-old power forward averaged 6.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 24.6 mpg in 2016/17, and with only Pascal Siakam behind the starting PF Ibaka, Toronto lost another player who can contribute off the bench. PJ Tucker played in only 24 games for the Raptors in 2016/17, and the team didn’t want to offer him a new deal, so the former Phoenix Sun went to Houston and signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Rockets. Tucker averaged 5.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 1.3 spg in 25.4 mpg, and giving Toronto’s current options at the SF spot; he would be quite helpful if he stayed. Finally, DeMarre Carroll joined the Brooklyn Nets in order to free up salary cap space for renewing contracts of Lowry and Ibaka. The 31-year-old forward averaged 8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, and 1.1 spg in 26.1 mpg, and I am sure his numbers will improve in 2017/18, while the Raptors will miss his versatility and defensive skills.
The Raptors spent a lot of money to extend contracts to Lowry and Ibaka and keep them in the club, so the team didn’t have enough resources to bring in a high-profile player as a result. Ibaka appeared in 23 matches for Toronto after his arrival from the OKC last year, averaging 14.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 1.4 bpg in 31.0 mpg. He became an integral part of the squad, and the Raptors were delighted with the Spaniard’s performances, so they decided to tie him up with a new deal. Kyle Lowry experienced an All-Star season in 2016/17, averaging 22.4 ppg, 7.0 apg, 4.8 rpg, and 1.5 spg in 37.4 mpg, and will continue to represent the Raptors after already spending five years with them. His influence and importance for this team are extremely evident, so nobody was surprised when the Raptors offered him a fresh, multi-year contract.
Toronto’s starting lineup is one of the best in the East, but their bench is one of the worst, so if some of the top performers suffer an injury, they will be in lots of trouble. The decision to stick with Lowry and Ibaka and spend almost entire salary cap on the pair could prove to be costly for the Raptors, but the time will tell whether they were right in doing so.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Toronto Raptors will likely struggle to repeat the 2016/17 season’s success as they seem to be relatively weaker now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they fail to enter the first six teams in the East. However, the playoffs should be a very reachable goal for the 2018/18 campaign, and I am sure they will manage to qualify for the postseason. Still, I don’t believe Toronto can record more than 45 or 46 victories, and the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 48.5, so I would advise you to go with under on this one.
Season total wins: 48.5 Under (+100)
