EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION Toronto It seems odd to be writing about Toronto as the defending Atlantic Division champs, but last year’s Raptors took advantage of an underachieving collection of adversaries and rode the Kyle Lowry/DeMar DeRozan backcourt combo to big things. Expecting an encore is not out of the question, especially if those two continue to grow together, and if the supporting cast—particularly center Jonas Valanciunas—continues to mature. Toronto is going to play good defense, thanks to the system put in place by head coach Dwane Casey, and that should come in handy during playoff time, when the Raptors will try to improve on last year’s first-round exit. This is one of the more interesting teams in the League, and though few are aware of the Raptors’ story, opponents most definitely understand that a trip to Air Canada Centre is no longer a guaranteed victory. Another piece or two, and Toronto will become a formidable franchise. It’s already pretty darn good. Defense Some might say that it’s surprising the Raptors finished so high in terms of offensive efficiency (10th) and total points (13th), given the amount of attention Casey devotes to defensive preparation. Usually, teams that work long hours on their D end up with attacks that can’t function so well. Toronto is able to get it done at both ends, and that’s a big reason for the team’s growing success. The Raptors finished seventh in the League in points allowed last year and were 10th in defensive rating. That’s usually good enough to get a team through at least a round of the playoffs, and if Toronto can repeat that performance this year, it should be in good shape against just about anybody. Toronto is quite sharp on its rotations, and that’s important, because without a bigtime shotblocking presence in the back of the defense (their starting center, Valanciunas, averaged just 0.9 bpg last year), the Raptors have to be on top of their switches and make it tough for rivals to get comfortable. They will also be very aggressive against the pick-and-roll, another important key to successful NBA defense. Having Lowry at the point is a good start in that regard. He may only six-feet tall, but at 205 pounds, he’s built like an NFL safety. Lowry isn’t going to get roughed up too much on the perimeter, and that makes it harder for rivals to work in late shot-clock situations, when many teams resort to the pick-and-roll, when early offense doesn’t produce. Amir Johnson is another good weapon on the defensive end. At 6-9, 240, he isn’t going to back down from anybody, and he has the athletic ability to be a deterrent at the rim. He blocked 1.1 shots a game last year, not a huge number but strong for someone his size DeMar DeRozan
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