RAPTORS RAP-UP

Nicholas D'Agostino

With a loss to Philadelphia in game 6 of their first round matchup, the Toronto Raptors’ season has come to an end. It has been a disappointing finish to the season for both the organization and it's fans but the Raptors should hold their heads high and be happy with the season they had. Throughout the entirety of the 2021/2022 season the Raptors accomplished numerous accolades that they should be more than content about.

Now for the most part, every team plays to win. The Raptors are a team that brands themselves on their winning culture and there is no question that after a terrible season last year in Tampa, the Toronto side was eager to come back to the north and play in front of their real home crowd.

Heading into this season there were definitely some highs and lows. The Raptors got the fourth pick in the draft and selected current Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes. The celebrations however were short lived, with fans and players alike having to endure the pain of longtime beloved Raptor Kyle Lowry walking out the door. All things considered the Raptors did a decent job in the offseason and went into the 2021/2022 season looking to improve from that disastrous season in Tampa.

Personally, I think the Raptors had a successful season. Coming into this year, many people had the Raptors finishing in the bottom of the standings and being a below-average team. This season the Raptors exceeded expectations by not only making it into the playoffs but finishing as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors also had many individual players that developed over the course of the year and showed their true potential.

One player that had a tremendous season for the Raptors was Scottie Barnes. Barnes became the just third player in Raptors history to be awarded the NBA’s Rookie of The Year award, joining Damon Stoudamire and Vince Carter. He also became the first rookie in franchise history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 250 assists. It was very clear throughout the year that Scottie was one of the best rookies in the league and was very deserving of his award. Barnes truly showed his superstar potential this season.

A couple other players that had great seasons this year were Fred Vanvleet and Pascal Siakam. Vanvleet averaged 20.3 points per game, 6.7 assists per game all while shooting 40.3% from the field. He was voted in as a first time All-Star and helped the Raptors get into that 5th seed.

Vanvleet emerged as a leader this year in the absence of former teammate Kyle Lowry. Pascal Siakam also stepped up as a perceptual captain both on and off the court for the Raptors this season, averaging 22.9 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game. Pascal elevated his game to another level this season as he improved his playmaking ability as he was the primary ball handler for the Raptors many times this season.

Siakam also showed up big time for the Raptors in the playoffs, scoring a playoff career best 34 points in game 4 to avoid the sweep. Both Vanvleet and Siakam were major factors to the success of the Raptors this season, both of which stepped up in big moments this season.

Despite the personal accolades, the Raptors as a team had a tremendous year, finishing up the season with a 48-34 record. Throughout the ups and downs of the regular season, the entire Raptors team stuck with it and made the playoffs when no one thought they could. Now getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs was disappointing to say the least, but the one thing to remember is that they exceeded their expectations from the start.

The Raptors were never supposed to be back in contention for the NBA championship yet just after one year removed from finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference, they marched their way back to the playoffs. This season the Raptors showed that they are a good team with lots of potential and the reality is their young players have yet to reach their fullest potential yet. I have full confidence that the Raptors will build onto this season and be a better team next year.

Now the final question is what now? Where do they go from here? Bobby Webster and Masai Ujiri will have some work to do this offseason. They will be looking to improve this Raptor team in any way they can whether that be adding through free agency or the trade market. This Raptors front office has my full confidence and should have yours too as I believe come next season the Raptors will be even better than they were this year.