For the last several years, the Toronto Raptors have been a dominant force in the Eastern Conference. They have reached the playoffs for 7 straight seasons, winning 66.3% of their games over that span. In his first two seasons as the head coach of the Raptors, Nick Nurse has posted a 111-43 (72.1% win percentage) record and has led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history. 

After winning the 2019 NBA Finals, many thought the Raptors success was mainly because of what Kawhi Leonard had done for this organization. This could not be farther from the truth as Nick Nurse has proven to be a fantastic head coach and is the main factor why the Raptors sustained their success last season, reaching 50+ wins for the 5th consecutive season for Toronto.

The Raptors did fall short of their goals of defending their championship last year, losing in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last year and while they bring back Fred VanVleet, who has been instrumental in their success over the years, they did lose both of their centers in Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. 

Losing both Ibaka and Gasol will hurt this team greatly as both guys were two of the Raptors’ top rebounders from a season ago and were two key offensive players for them. Now, a lot of weight will fall on Pascal Siakam to prove that making the All-Star game was not a fluke and that he can lead the Raptors’ frontcourt to success.

Toronto has a lot of work to do in order to once again prove they are one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference, but with Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam leading the team, as well as Nick Nurse’s game-planning setting them up for success, the Raptors should be just fine.

Here are four bold predictions for the Toronto Raptors as they begin their quest for their second championship in the last three seasons.