Toronto Raptors 2014-15 Preview

The Raptors are coming off of the highest win total in franchise history. With Kyle Lowry and head coach Dwane Casey locked into new long-term deals, can the Raptors make some more noise in the playoffs in 2015?

Here is a snippet of my Toronto Raptors 2014-15 season preview from CelticsBlog.com, which is part of SBNation’s annual season preview project.

X-FACTOR – Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas is a quality young center that is coming off of a productive sophomore season, where he flirted with a double-double on a regular basis and showed signs of improvement on both ends of the floor. However, as the team’s only viable low-post scoring option, it’s time he starts getting more aggressive. Better yet, it’s time he starts getting more opportunities to finish plays.

Valanciunas is unique in the sense that he extremely efficient around the rim and is also a seven-footer that shoots between 75-80% from the free throw line. The more opportunities he gets to make something happen on the block, the more easy buckets the Raptors will get and he can put some pressure on the opposition by getting to the free throw line more often.

In April last season, Valanciunas was fed more often and he took more shots and free throws than any other period during the season. As a result, he averaged 16.8 points and 11 rebounds in the final month of the regular season an in the last two months combined, he shot right around 60% from the field. For some reason, they went away from that in the first round of the playoffs, where he shot over 63% for the series but only took seven shots per game.

In his third year, he needs to get more touches and bring a new dynamic to Toronto’s offense. The Raptors love to attack, but Valanciunas is the team’s best bet at establishing a better inside-out game in the halfcourt. Let the big fella eat!

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2014-15
The Raptors are the favorite to win the Atlantic Division and earn a seed in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. You can expect a lot of what we saw last year – a tough, hard-nosed young team that respects the fundamentals and gets after it every night.

Depending on health and who they draw as a postseason opponent, the Raptors might have a chance to make a little more noise and potentially advance to the second round.

PREDICTED STANDINGS
1st – Atlantic Division
4th – Eastern Conference

FULL ARTICLE – TORONTO RAPTORS 2014-15 PREVIEW – CELTICSBLOG.COM

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