It’s been awhile since anyone has mentioned the Toronto Raptors. However, a lot has happened since they were eliminated from playoffs in May by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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First of all, they fired their head coach. The beloved Dwane Casey who had been with the team for several years was let go just a week after the team was eliminated from playoffs. Since then, the team has announced that Nick Nurse, the Raptors former assistant coach, will be stepping up to fill the position as head coach. This was a safe move for the Raptors, considering who their other options for head coach were.
Nick Nurse has been the Toronto Raptors assistant coach for 5 years, joining the team in 2013. As assistant coach Nurse was responsible for the team’s offense, increasing their passing and 3-point attempts. He is largely credited for the Raptors improved offensive game in the 2017-18 season, leading them to a franchise record 59 regular season game wins. It is being predicted that with Nurse as head coach, the Raptors offensive game will get even stronger. However more improvements do need to be made to their defensive game, by either a new assistant coach or Nurse himself, in order to finally lead the Raptors to a championship.
Offseason Changes
The Raptors chances of making it to playoffs did vastly improve these past few days as well. LeBron James has been a major factor in the Toronto Raptors not making it to the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers have knocked the Raptors out of the playoffs for the past 3 years in a row now. With LeBron James moving to the LA Lakers, the Raptors may finally have a chance to claim the Eastern Conference as their own.
So far, the Raptors have yet to make any major player changes during the offseason. They re-signed point guard Fred VanVleet to a two-year deal, but otherwise have not made any trades. VanVleet was the only Toronto Raptors player who was in free-agency this offseason, so the Raptors aren’t expected to make many more changes. It has been predicted however that the Raptors may be looking to trade Serge Ibaka after his disappointing playoff performance, even though he still has two years left on his contract.
What’s Next?
With changes being made to the coaching staff, and the possibility for more changes to be made to the roster, the Raptors have the potential to succeed this upcoming season. Will they lead the Eastern Conference again? Will they set any new franchise records? Only time will tell. If last season was any indicator of the Raptors’ future success, then with LeBron James out of the east, the path is set for the Raptors to finally go all the way to the NBA Finals.
