We The North

By Aryan Kaul

It’s that time of the year Raptors fans... the Raptors are back! This season is going to be

special, however, because the Raptors are playing in Toronto again after a 19-month absence due

to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Last season, the Raptors resided in Tampa Bay, Florida,

where they finished with a subpar 27 wins to 45 losses, which was 12th in the Eastern

Conference, and 24th overall out of 30 teams.

With the season finishing on May 16th, the Raptors got to participate in the NBA Draft

Lottery on June 22nd, where the “Lottery gods” graciously gave the Raptors the #4 pick in the

2021 NBA Draft. The expectation was that the Raptors would draft Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs

as a replacement for the G.R.O.A.T (Greatest Raptor of All Time), Kyle Lowry. On draft night,

the Raptors shocked the NBA world and drafted Florida State University forward Scottie Barnes.

The Raptors also drafted 6’9 guard Dalano Banton with the 46th pick and 6’5 guard David

Johnson with the 47th pick. Like many fans, I was confused by the selection of Scottie Barnes

over guard Jalen Suggs, but over time, I realized that the Front Office (led by the great Masai

Ujiri, who was not signed to a new contract at the time) had a plan. That plan was to create a

team full of versatile forwards that could guard anyone, regardless of their height. I also realized

that Scottie Barnes genuinely wanted to be here, which got me and other fans as hyped as he was

with that dance after he got drafted.

Free agency came around, and the team underwent a “passing of the torch”. Kyle Lowry

agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat, in which the Raptors acquired the now

sophomore forward Precious Achiuwa and veteran guard Goran Dragic. With the departure of

the G.R.O.A.T came the passing of the leadership role from him to his protégé, Fred VanVleet.

Other moves in the offseason included signing guard Gary Trent Jr. to a 3 year/ $54000000 deal, signing forward Khem Birch to a 3 year/ $20000000 deal, and waiving Aron Baynes. The Gary Trent Jr. deal was confusing for me because former (and beloved) Raptor Norman Powell got the same amount of money per year (albeit over a longer-term).

For me, this offseason was a success, considering that the Raptors got younger, and they

got a clear plan to build for the future. The only thing that I would have done differently would

be to trade Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline last year. I say this because the offers for the

G.R.O.A.T. were more substantial, and on top of that, the Raptors had more leverage. By trading

him in the offseason, the Raptors got less for Kyle, when they could have had more at the

deadline. However, I understand why the Front Office did what they did. They showed the rest of

the league that they would not trade their players without getting something good in return, and

proved that they wouldn’t be pushed around by other Front Offices. Ultimately, I would give this

offseason a B+ grade simply because the team got better than last year.

According to a survey that I took a few weeks back, most NBA/Raptors fans would rate

the Raptors offseason as a “meh”, or something between a D and a C. This is understandable,

given the fact that Kyle Lowry left the team, and given the fact that the Raptors have no clear

first option to take the big shots. To those people, I say that they are correct. However, I am an

optimist, and I cannot just see what went wrong. Regardless, I think we can all agree that this

offseason went much better than the last offseason, where the Raptors signed Aron Baynes as the

starting centre.

Based on all the moves made this offseason, I predict the Raptors will have two wins and

three losses in the first five games, mainly because teams like the Celtics, Mavs, and Bulls will

have healthy rosters, while the Raptors will have star forward (yes he’s a star) Pascal Siakam out

with injury. For the rest of the season, the people who were polled mostly picked the option of

the Raptors winning between 30-40 games. This is a fair assessment, although I would tell those

same people to be optimistic about the team’s circumstances. I predict the Raptors will win

between 40-50 games, mainly because they are finally back in Toronto, and their injured players

will also get healthy as the season progresses. Barring any injuries or absences due to Covid-19,

the Raptors should be good enough to make the play-in tournament and fight for a playoff spot.

Anyways, I leave you (the reader) with some advice for the season: have fun! This year

will be a development year, and while there will be some growing pains, remember that it’s all

part of the journey. Besides, we are in Toronto now, and nothing beats coming back home after

spending an entire season getting booed in Tampa Bay. If you are a new fan, welcome! It’s a

great time to become a fan, and Raptors Nation is always open to new fans. If you are a returning

fan, welcome back! This team will need all the support it can get this upcoming season, and with

everyone's support, the Raptors could return to excellence in the NBA.

WE THE NORTH!