The Toronto Raptors are one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA because they have shown throughout the season that they can compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but have struggled against teams who they should be dominating.
The Raptors are a team that should be taken seriously and feared in the Eastern Conference, despite the fact that they are a few moves away. If they want to make noise in the playoffs, they'll have to make some huge decisions and answer some critical questions.
Let's take a look at the three biggest questions about this Raptors team for the remaining of the season.
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Raptors Questions 2022
3. Are they going to go all-in at the deadline?
The Toronto Raptors will be a team to watch at the NBA trade deadline because they have the potential to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs if they can find a way to bring in some key players. What they have to consider is that they may decide to move on from some of their pieces, and it may be time for them to do so.
Guys like Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, and rookie star Scottie Barnes have been outstanding this season and should never be moved.
They might be a team that causes problems for other elite teams in the Eastern Conference if they can bring back a couple of players who they believe can come in and make an immediate impact. It's difficult to determine if they'll go all out for this deadline, but it's possible. They have a lot of people on their roster that can get a good return, so that's something they'll have to keep in mind.
2. Are they still interested in Ben Simmons?
Many speculations have circulated that the Raptors are interested in Ben Simmons, who will be available at the NBA trade deadline. There have also been some fears that they may opt to not move him before the deadline because they believe they would be able to get a better return once summer arrives. In any case, he's been connected to the Toronto Raptors a few times, and his name is intriguing. When it comes to defense, Nick Nurse and the rest of the Raptors all play at a high level, which is something Ben Simmons does as well.
Nick Nurse is a tremendous defensive coach who always has his team playing at the highest level of defense imaginable, which is why the Raptors have had such great success in recent seasons. If they do decide to bring in Ben Simmons, this is where he may make sense since he is another player that defends at the highest level in the NBA. There's a case to be made that he's the best defender in the NBA, and if the Raptors could sign him, they'd reap a slew of benefits since he'd compliment the rest of their roster nicely.
1. Can they shock some people in the playoffs?
Although the Raptors are only one game above.500 on the season (21-20), they have performed well against some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Because Nick Nurse does an outstanding job of stopping high-powered big men and making it difficult for them, they match up nicely with many of the other elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Going up against Nick Nurse is not easy, as players like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kevin Durant have all stated. Even while all three of those players generally reach their 30 points against the Raptors, it is considerably more difficult to do so against them than any other team. As a result, the Raptors are a team to keep an eye on throughout a seven-game series in the playoffs. They are a team that can defend well, and when that is the case, other teams find it difficult to beat them.
Many of Toronto's players have been outstanding this season, and it appears like Fred Van Vleet might be the number one option on a championship team if the organization surrounds him with the proper pieces at the trade deadline. There's no reason to believe that the Raptors won't surprise a lot of people in this year's playoffs because they've already demonstrated that they can compete with the Eastern Conference's best.
It won't be easy for Toronto to accomplish all they want in the playoffs, but they may be only a few moves away. This is an intriguing team that no one in the Eastern Conference will want to play in the playoffs.
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