After a long summer of sports-less drought, Toronto Raptors Basketball is finally back. The Raptors triumphant NBA championship win in 2019 was a monumental moment for not only Toronto but the entire country, creating a new generation of die-hard fans here and even abroad. As the only Canadian team in the professional league winning the coveted title was our version of a Cinderella story.
Since 2019, there has been much change within the team. They’ve traded star players like Kawhi Lenoard and Kyle Lowry that became such a foundation for what we grew to love in their championship run and have attempted to rebrand and restructure a new winning machine with younger players. Going into this new season, fans want to know…is this another development year for the Raptors? Or is this year about winning a playoff series?
S11E01 : Mile Zero
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— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 22, 2022
Of course, there is a fine line between prioritizing developing and prioritizing winning. But as much as that is true, it was clear that last season was very much on the development side of that line, with young players playing big minutes throughout the season to develop their skills instead of putting players that were a little more seasoned in a position to generate wins for the team.
Newer players like Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes were given a lot of court time last season – and it was apparent that the veteran leaders of the team like Fred Vanvleet were told to take more of an assisting role. The things is, while I know Raptor fans like myself do want to see this new transition take place, we also still want wins for the team. If this year is truly about winning and taking the next step forward, the team might have to lean toward focusing less on long-term development and more on using every competitive advantage they can so we can make it to the playoffs this year.