In what should come as little surprise following the announcement that the team would start their exhibition schedule there, the Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that they’ll also open training camp in Vancouver.
Following Media Day in Toronto on Sept. 26, the Raptors will take off to my former city (well, technically Burnaby) four a week of practice ahead of the Oct. 1 preseason opener at Rogers Arena against the Golden State Warriors. From there, the Raptors will head to Calgary for a game on Oct. 3, then to L.A. for an exhibition game on Oct. 5, before returning home. They’ll have about a week here at BioSteel Centre before continuing their preseason slate in Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, and Washington.
Sept. 26 – Media Day (Toronto)
Sept. 27-30 – Burnaby training camp
Oct. 1 – Vancouver, vs. Golden State
Oct. 3 – Calgary, vs. Denver
Oct. 5 – @ Clippers
Oct. 6-12 – in Toronto
Oct. 13 – @ Cavaliers
Oct. 14 – Home vs. San Lorenzo de Almagro
Oct. 15-18 – in Toronto
Oct. 19 – @ Detroit
Oct. 21 – @ Washington
Oct. 22-25 – in Toronto
Oct. 26 – Season opener
As always, the trip across the country should represent a nice bonding experience for the team, and it’s tough to beat B.C. this time of year. It’s also nice that the Raptors have structured their preseason such that they have what amounts to a second “training camp” week back in Toronto, where they can make use of their new facility at BioSteel.
As an additional note, expect the requisite cuts to come on or before Oct. 24, when the Raptors will have to waive at least four players in order to be in compliance with roster regulations when the season opens. The big story in camp will be which of Fred VanVleet, Drew Crawford, E.J. Singler, Jarrod Uthoff, or Yanick Moreira will earn the team’s 15th roster spot. The backup center job, presumed to be Lucas Nogueira’s to lose, will also be worth watching.
