RoyceDa59 wrote:Regular season Raptors could take the top seed. Without Kawhi last season they were on pace for 64 wins, and they've added Gasol and OG plus good draft picks and FA signings, not to mention improvements in skill and confidence from Siakam, FVV and Powell.
Before Kawhi came to town, they were a 60 win team and the #1 seed. This team is built perfectly for the regular season and they have great chemistry and depth. Same core has been playing together for years.
There's literally no reason why they shouldn't win 55+ games. Anyone sleeping on them is just glancing past them with a (they lost Kawhi, easy 15-20 loss in the wins column). Kawhi only played 60 games last season. Anyone who does even a little bit of research will realize there's no legitimate reason why they shouldn't still be a 55-60 win regular season team. Playoffs of course, is another story.
That’s not happening and using the Kawhi missed games as proof is just short sighted.
The Raps depth is poor this year as well, the worst it’s been in several seasons. They’ve signed one-way, defensive minded players in Johnson, RHJ and McCaw who can neither shoot, score nor help space the offense. They lost Kawhi but also Green and Wright from last year’s trade deadline. They’re basically a 7 deep team and if injuries hit, and they do have an older team, they’ll have some very limited players playing big minutes. That’s just reality.
They could approach 50 wins if the health of the key players is good but I will bet you a lot of money this team doesn’t win 55+ games. And that’s even assuming that players aren’t traded off with an eye towards the future.
