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An innovative head coach of the Toronto Raptors is trying to win around the edges by hacking the possession game. The front office turns roster imbalance into a supposed strength, doubling down on length and strength and defensive structure while shrugging at the need for individual creation. The point guard is a shooting specialist who perhaps is limited at driving and creating for others, at least when compared to other starting point guards around the league. Positions 2-4 are versatile defenders yet limited when it comes to shooting. There is certainly no shooting from the center spot.

If this description reminds you of either the current Raptors, led by Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, or the last era of the Raptors, led by Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, you’re right. The Raptors are innovating backwards, in the big picture rebuilding the last iteration of the team. Not in the details, but certainly in the strengths and weaknesses.

If there is one lesson from Toronto’s 2025 Summer League performance, it is this: The youths of this team can win, and win big, through defence, but they still lack half-court creators. Just like the big club.

As a result, the wins looked dominant and the loss somewhat flat. Toronto’s offence just couldn’t punch hard enough without a few dozen chances in transition.

Just like the big club.

Thus in many ways the entirety of the success of this team’s core rests on the shoulders of Brandon Ingram. From this perspective, he is bearing in many ways the same load as Siakam did before him. I am suspicious of whether Ingram can out-perform Siakam in the same role.

To be fair, he has been to the playoffs before. (Not including his awful 2023-24 performance which came on the heels of sitting out 12 consecutive games for injury, returning for the final regular-season game to play 20 minutes, then suiting up in the playoffs clearly not healthy for a sweep.) But in 2021-22, Ingram was spectacular. He scored 27 points a game without seeing a drop from his regular-season efficiency, all while averaging over a point per possessions on isolations, including ones that didn’t result in a shot, turnover, or assist. That has long been his strength; he’s averaged over a point per possession on all such possessions including isolations in the regular seasons of 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25. His possessions on which he’s run a pick and roll have similarly averaged over a point per in the regular seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24.

His initiation has been quite consistent and efficient in the regular season and in his one healthy stint in the playoffs. He’s used to playing alongside oodles of wings, as he will alongside Barnes, RJ Barrett, and others; in New Orleans, from 2021-22 all the way to 2024-25, Ingram had a higher net rating when alongside both of Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III (plus-6.5) than he did alongside either one individually, or without either. (In fact, the trio all on the court was better than any other permutation of the three.) With CJ McCollum on, the four were even better. Ingram should be ready for the lineup quirks (lots of wings all playing together without a traditional initiating point guard) waiting for him in Toronto.

Psubs wrote:It's like the 2019 team was highly dependent on the health of Kawhi's quad.

Tor_Raps wrote:

Psubs wrote:It's like the 2019 team was highly dependent on the health of Kawhi's quad.

Except the ceiling of this team is a 1st round exit lol

Fairview4Life wrote:

Tor_Raps wrote:

Psubs wrote:It's like the 2019 team was highly dependent on the health of Kawhi's quad.

Except the ceiling of this team is a 1st round exit lol

Ceiling doesn't mean most likely.

JB7 wrote:I wouldn't say he is replacing the role of Siakam on the post-Kawhi Raps teams. BI's strength is his jump shot and ISO scoring, especially late in the clock. I wouldn't say that was Pascal's strength at all. Barnes kind of fills in the roles Pascal provided (rebounding/D, postups on O, pushing the ball in transition).

Psubs wrote:

Fairview4Life wrote:

Tor_Raps wrote:
Except the ceiling of this team is a 1st round exit lol

Ceiling doesn't mean most likely.

I would say the ceiling is conference finals unless a Marc Gasol level trade is made to made this team a true contender. Right now they can make a run like Indiana.

Tor_Raps wrote:

Psubs wrote:

Fairview4Life wrote:
Ceiling doesn't mean most likely.

I would say the ceiling is conference finals unless a Marc Gasol level trade is made to made this team a true contender. Right now they can make a run like Indiana.

Ceiling means best case scenario. A competitive 1st round loss is the most id expect from this team (like the Pistons this past year).

Worst case scenario we have injuries to Poeltl/Ingram and this team is top 10 lottery bound.

Most likely is we are a play-in team that either makes it to get their asses kicked in the 1st round or doesnt make it at all.

Tor_Raps wrote:

Psubs wrote:

Fairview4Life wrote:
Ceiling doesn't mean most likely.

I would say the ceiling is conference finals unless a Marc Gasol level trade is made to made this team a true contender. Right now they can make a run like Indiana.

Ceiling means best case scenario. A competitive 1st round loss is the most id expect from this team (like the Pistons this past year).

Worst case scenario we have injuries to Poeltl/Ingram and this team is top 10 lottery bound.

Most likely is we are a play-in team that either makes it to get their asses kicked in the 1st round or doesnt make it at all.

JB7 wrote:The East is a complete crap shoot. I'm not saying the Raps are a contender, nor am I saying they are not.

JB7 wrote:

Tor_Raps wrote:

Psubs wrote:
I would say the ceiling is conference finals unless a Marc Gasol level trade is made to made this team a true contender. Right now they can make a run like Indiana.

Ceiling means best case scenario. A competitive 1st round loss is the most id expect from this team (like the Pistons this past year).

Worst case scenario we have injuries to Poeltl/Ingram and this team is top 10 lottery bound.

Most likely is we are a play-in team that either makes it to get their asses kicked in the 1st round or doesnt make it at all.

Funny thing is, in the East, they could end up being a contender. Look at the Pacers last year.

With Haliburton and Tatum out for the year that eliminates Boston and Indiana from contention. Knicks are a Brunson injury away from being knocked out. Cavs proved yet again they are not legit in the playoffs. And who knows what the Magic will be?

The East is a complete crap shoot. I'm not saying the Raps are a contender, nor am I saying they are not.

tsherkin wrote:

JB7 wrote:The East is a complete crap shoot. I'm not saying the Raps are a contender, nor am I saying they are not.

"Exiting the East" and "contention" aren't the same thing. But we won't do that either; we won't beat Cleveland. We wouldn't beat New York. We probably wouldn't beat Milwaukee. And there's a good chance that Detroit, Orlando and Atlanta would all give us hella problems.

But we should be a playoff team, and that'll be a nice change of pace from the past few seasons. And then we have something to build upon, which is important. We've got a shaky foundation, but we are also just trying to exit some rough years.

LoveMyRaps wrote:

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JB7 wrote:Hey, if you can make it to the show (Finals), you are a contender.