The Toronto Raptors are currently the top team in the East, ahead of Golden State, Boston, Clevland, and many other amazing teams. Their Starting Lineup consists of 4 times all-stars Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan, Rookie OG Anunoby, Jonas Valanciunas, and Serge Ibaka. Toronto also has the best bench in the league with fantastic young players. The teammates all get along very well off the court, which helps them to win games on the court.
They all trust each other, and trust is one of the most important things in basketball. Many teams have good benches, many teams have great starters, and many teams have all-stars, so what makes the Toronto Raptors the best?
Roster
The Raptors roster consists of the following players: Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Fred Vanvleet, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, Jakob Poetl, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, Lucas Nogueira, Lorenzo Brown, Alfonzo Mckinnie, and Malcolm Miller. These players make up the Toronto Raptors roster, led by head coach Dwayne Casey.
Starters
The starting lineup for Toronto almost always consists of Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, and OG Anunoby.
What makes this starting five better than all other teams? Not as much as you would think. There is no doubt about it that the starters are amazing, but a lot of teams have equally as good if not better starters. On the Raptors, Dwayne Casey uses the starting lineup to get points up on the board in the first quarter and close the game out in the end, if necessary, and moments in between where Casey thinks they are needed.
The Bond between the players, especially Lowry and DeRozan, betters the whole team because they communicate better and know how everyone is going to react in different situations, nevermind the fact being able to trust their teammates with the ball. JV’s explosiveness on both ends of the floor gives energy to the Raptors and his ability to shoot the three ball comes in handy every once in a while.
Serge Ibaka provides the element with of rim protection while also being a great offensive player. OG Anunoby has a great fit in the starting lineup because he plays well with them offering good offense and defense at the same time. When you put all of these skills together, you get an amazing starting lineup, but many teams have great starting lineups. So what sets the Raptors apart? Their bench.
Bench Mob
Toronto has the best bench in the league, no question about it. They all work so well together which is what makes them so special, an amazing addition to their already great skill. Fred Vanvleet, undrafted, is now in the talks for Six Man of the Year. Delon Wright is great at shooting the three ball while being able to split the defense and drive to the net very well.
CJ Miles is the Raptors sharpshooter and is able to drain the three even if it is highly contested.
Pascal Siakim is able to run outstandingly fast up the court for someone his height, getting many fast break opportunities and vicious dunks, while still being able to play great defense. Jakob Poetl is great in the post and on defense punishes anyone who dares to challenge him. Norman Powell is an all-around player who is able to shoot threes, drive the ball, and play extraordinary defense. Lucas Nogueira, arguably Toronto's secret weapon, comes off the bench when the Raptors need a spark and forces many turnovers due to his wide wingspan and runs the floor fast to get many alley-oops. All together they call themselves the Bench Mob.
Coaching
Dwayne Casey, in the discussion for coach of the year, is the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
What makes him stand out from most coaches is his ability to integrate players into the game as needed and to be able to think on the fly while still maintaining the great strategy. His ability to mix the right bench players with the right starters at the right time is crucial for the Raptors to win.
Due to the starting lineup, the Bench Mob, and the coaching, the Toronto Raptors are the best team in the East.