5 Predictions for the 2019/2020 Raptors season

Welcome to our third annual predictions column here at Life in Repeat. We all know that making predictions is a fool’s errand but what the heck; let’s be unwise by checking our crystal ball to see what the future holds for our beloved Raptors.

But before we do that, let’s quickly recap how my predictions from last season fared.

1. Three-Point Shooting.We predicted the Raptors would be top three in the entire league in three-point attempts per game and three-point percentage. How did we do? Well, they finished 6th in percentage and 11th in attempts per game. 0/1
2. Kawhi will re-sign. Just when I think I’m in the right place emotionally when it comes to Kawhi leaving town, I re-read this prediction and I can feel a tiny dot of sadness on fandom heart. Damn you Kawhi! 0/2
3. Pascal Siakam will be a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year (with some potential buzz as Most improved Player). I wrote this prediction before the season started; before anyone had any idea that Siakam would turn himself into a foundational superstar. The debate before last season was whether Siakam could work himself into a regular starting role. No one could have predicted the kind of leap he took. I am giving himself the point on this one.1/3
4. Kawhi Leonard will win MVP. He won a Finals MVP so I’m taking the point. 2/4
5. Raptors will win 58 games and make the Finals. Ladies and gentlemen, let me a take a bow here. Such a beautiful (and bang-on!) prediction. Look, I know what you’re thinking: you’re thinking that I hedged by simply saying they’ll make the Finals; you’re thinking that I didn’t go all-in on them winning the whole damn thing. To that I say: whatever, we the fucken champs! 3/5

Alright, onto our 5 predictions.

Pack your bags Kyle

Sorry, I should have warned you that I’m coming in hot. Let me tread carefully here because Lowry is the ultimate third-rail topic amongst Raptors fans. All you need to do is tweet “plus/minus” and then watch the Lowry-Truthers emerge from their natural habitat to espouse the importance of an incredibly, and widely acknowledged, flawed stat.

With the recent report, by trusted Raptors insider Michael Grange, that Lowry was more than happy (and willing) to sit out until he got his one-year extension and, worse yet, that Lowry would have requested a trade had the Raptors chosen not to extend him, I do believe his time in Toronto is coming to an end sooner rather than later. Look, I love Lowry as much as the next Raptors fan and I hate to say this, but the dude just sealed his own fate.

Although the front office gave in to Lowry’s demand, the extension does have an added benefit for the Raptors. It actually makes Lowry more tradeable. Instead of acquiring an All-Star and World Champion with lots of playoff experience for just one playoff run, Lowry’s potential new team would have him for two such runs.

I also can’t imagine that Lowry’s demand went over well with Masai Ujiru and Bobby Webster. Do you?

Unless Lowry comes out guns-a-blazing, Masai & Bobby will find a way to part with the Philly native. But who would be potential suitors you ask? Just take a look at teams who need a point guard. Please remember that Lowry isn’t just any point guard. The dude is a legit game changer. There are at least 10 teams that would improve dramatically with Lowry manning the point (Magic, Heat, 76ers, Pistons, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Mavericks).

Either way, the market for Lowry will be robust — and Lowry sealed his fate by forcing an extension from Ujiri and Webster. I’m not saying that they’ll trade him just for the sake of doing so. They will only trade him if the offer is overwhelming. Just remember that you read it here first.

Marc Gasol and/or Serge Ibaka will also be traded

I don’t mean to get all doom-and-gloom here, but if Lowry gets dealt, as the breadcrumbs seem to suggest, it makes sense to then bid adios to Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka (not to mention the fact that Siakam works best as a power forward or a stretch five).

Rival teams saw what the addition of Gasol did in terms of bringing a championship to Toronto. Without Gasol, the Raptors may not have gotten past the 76ers. The dude single-handedly erased Nikola Vucevic and Joel Embiid in consecutive rounds.

But, again, let me be clear here. Ujiri and Webster are not going to part ways with Lowry, Gasol, or Ibaka just for the sake of trading them. Do we desperately need a first round pick that will be heavily protected or do we desperately need a couple second round picks? I didn’t think so.

It’s a long season, you never know what can happen. Maybe Mike Conley is suddenly out for the season and Utah becomes desperate because they can see the title in the distance. Suddenly they need to get Lowry because they think they are still in it. Who knows what Utah will offer at that point if Lowry was available to help keep their momentum going.

We saw this last year with Portland when Jusif Nurkic got injured. What if a contender’s center goes down during the season? Suddenly Gasol and Ibaka are worth a whole lot more.

The plan is clear. The plan is to be patient. See what develops throughout the course of the season. See who has chemistry with Siakam. Monitor teams who may become in desperate need of a point guard or a big man as the season progresses. Injuries happen. And you know who strikes me as a patient man? Masai Ujiri. There is no rush to trade Lowry, Ibaka, or Gasol. These are three really good players.

There is no rush (or point) to suddenly having a clearance sale just for the sake of having the clearance sale. Teams become desperate throughout the year. Situations arise that we could not have foreseen. Who’s the next star player that becomes available? Then say that franchise with this unhappy player is just looking for expiring deals to clear their cap space? Unlikely, but we still can’t rule it out.

Either way, the market for Lowry, Gasol, and Ibaka will be more robust than we originally thought. If Masai and Bobby get overwhelmed by great offers, I can totally see them parting ways with our veteran players (all while still potentially making the Raptors a better team; who knows what tricks Masai has up his sleeves).

Home Court in the First Round

Even though Leonard bolted town, I’d still like to remind everyone that this team is deep. This is not a rebuilding team. We already did the rebuild. We did it while we were winning. Teams can barely handle doing one of those things (winning or rebuilding) at the same time — but this Raptors front office was able to do both. Now, the goal is finding the right pieces that fit around Siakam and seeing what he can do as the focal point.

Even if they part ways with some of their veterans on expiring deals, I still see this Raptors team battling for home-court in the first round of the playoffs. And, dare I say, I can potentially see this Raptors squad battling for Eastern Conference supremacy. There I said it! It felt good to get that out. Thanks for allowing me to go into full homer-mode there for a moment. I appreciate it.

Also, remember last season when 90% of ESPN NBA staffers picked the Celtics to make the Finals? Don’t be surprised if the Bucks and 76ers ain’t in the Finals this season…just sayin (#DefendTheNorth).

Siakam will become an All-Star & All-NBA

I know this might sound like an understatement because the dude is legit good, but I am incredibly high on Pascal Siakam. I’m not talking about future All-Star Pascal Siakam because he’s going to make an All-Star team this season. I’m talking about this dude being a top-5 player in the Eastern Conference right now at this very moment before the season has even started.

When the season starts, and we get to see the new skills he gained throughout a summer of working out and being highlighted as the focal point of this Raptors offensive machine, there is no reason why he can’t even be a top-3 player in the East.

He could easily average between 25–27 points per game this season. There I said it! He will be talked about as a dark horse MVP candidate in the same vein that DeRozan was talked about as an MVP candidate. But, in my humble opinion, Siakam has a much higher upside than DeRozan. It’s important to remember that Siakam is just 25 years old — and this is the season he will enter into those rarefied discussions. And as he enters his prime (you know, two years from now), that is when he will be a perennial MVP contender. I am incredibly high on Spicy P as you can tell. I cannot wait to see what he brings to the table as the lead man. From everything I’ve read or heard, he is eagerly awaiting his chance to lead the team, to show what an offense built around him can look like.

There also may very well be a part of Siakam that felt slighted when Kawhi said Paul George is the best teammate he will have played with (also, Tim Duncan should be pissed about that statement). I have zero doubt that Siakam wants to show Kawhi that hey, you wanted Paul George? Well, guess what! I’m fucking better than Paul George.

Mark my words: Siakam will make the All-Star team this year and will also be on one of the three All-NBA teams. I’m also not ruling him out for a spot on an All-Defensive team.

Before we wrap up this section, congrats to Siakam for securing the bag (4 years/$130M). He averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds & 3.7 assists in the NBA Finals against the unbeatable Warriors and was the second best player on a title team. That’s why he earned the max.

The Rise of OG

I also got my eye on OG Anunoby. There is no reason why he can’t have a breakout campaign. There’s been a precedent for this too over the past couple seasons in Toronto. Two years ago, it was Fred VanVleet (nominated for Sixth Man of the Year). Last season, it was Siakam (Most Improved Player). This season is almost tailor-made for OG to have a breakout season. Kawhi’s minutes are gone meaning there will be more opportunities for him.

Don’t get me wrong: OG had an inconsistent second season marred by injuries, emergency surgery, and games missed for personal reasons. But I also bet you that there is a part of him that feels like he didn’t contribute to the championship. Hopefully this means he has something to prove. He’s already an elite defender (he’s going to make a few All-Defensive teams sooner rather than later). We just now need his offense to catch up to where his defense is. To me there’s no reason why OG can’t flirt with 15–17 points per game. That’s my expectation for him in 2020.

OG is going to have a lot of opportunities to shine and the Raptors brain trust is also going to want to see what they have with him because soon enough he’ll be up for an extension on his rookie deal. Alternatively, he can be a piece that is traded (blasphemy I know) for a superstar that suddenly becomes available. Essentially, the Raptors are motivated to increase OG’s stock for two reasons: 1) potential trade market 2) They got to see what this guy is. Can he be the second or third best player on a contender? We are going to find out this season.

Until next time…

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