Head Coach: Nick Nurse (2nd Season)
Record: 46-18 (2nd in Eastern Conference)
All-Stars: 2 (Kyle Lowry – 6th, Pascal Siakam – 1st)
Scoring Leaders: Pascal Siakam (23.6 PPG), Kyle Lowry (19.7 PPG), Fred VanVleet (17.6 PPG)
Rebounding Leaders: Serge Ibaka (8.3 RPG), Siakam (7.5 RPG), Marc Gasol (6.3 RPG)
Assists Leaders: Lowry (7.7 APG), VanVleet (6.6 APG), Siakam (3.6 APG)
Offense: 113.0 Points Scored/Game (T-11th)
Defense: 106.5 Points Allowed/Game (1st)
Key Wins: Lakers (113-104, Nov. 10), 76ers x2 (101-96, Nov. 25; 107-95, Jan. 22), Celtics (113-97, Dec. 28), Pacers x3 (119-118, Feb. 5; 115-106, Feb. 7; 127-81, Feb. 23), Jazz x2 (130-110, Dec. 1; 101-92, Mar. 9), Thunder (130-121, Jan. 15)
Season Summary: Rarely has a defending NBA champion faced so much doubt about its prospects to repeat, but after losing 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to free agency last summer, many predicted Toronto might take a step back in 2020. That hasn’t happened. Thanks to the steady leadership of point guard Kyle Lowry, who made his sixth career All-Star appearance back in February, and the continued ascendance of first-time All Star Pascal Siakam and heady guard Fred VanVleet, the Raptors have their sights set on grabbing the Larry O’Brien trophy once again. Incredibly, Toronto has the exact same record through 64 games this season (46-18) as it had through 64 games last season.
The Raptors boast one of the league’s stingiest defenses, ranking first in points allowed per game (106.5) and second in opponent field goal percentage (42.9%). They’ve held opponents to a league-best 33.7% shooting from 3-point range, and rank second in the NBA in steals per game (8.8). Toronto’s big names have had big seasons, as Siakam and Lowry lead the team in scoring, but the 26-year-old VanVleet has also stepped up considerably. The Rockford, Illinois native is having a breakout season, averaging a career-best 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game while knocking down 2.7 triples per game.
Memorable Moment: The Raptors’ most memorable moment this season lasted about a month. Toronto ripped off a 15-game winning streak, which began with a victory over Oklahoma City on January 15 and didn’t end until February 12, when the Nets finally beat them in Brooklyn. The Raptors beat the Sixers, Spurs and Pacers (twice) during that stretch and were led by six different leading scorers, a stat that shows their depth and versatility.
Player to Watch: Pascal Siakam – The 26-year-old has blossomed into a bona fide star this season, as he leads the team in scoring (23.6 PPG) and ranks second in rebounding (7.5) and third in assists (3.6). The Cameroon native followed up his breakthrough 2018-19 campaign, after which he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, with an even more impressive 2019-20 season. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 35.9% from 3-point range, and will no doubt be key to the Raptors’ quest for a repeat title as he seamlessly transitions from a secondary role behind Kawhi Leonard last season to the team’s go-to scorer this year.
