The Toronto Raptors played two of the most exciting preseason games ever recorded, and they both came against the Boston Celtics. It wasn't a terrible preseason, with some down, but plenty of good with a 3-2 finish. Most everyone had a moment at one point or another, with Dalano Banton in particular playing great from start to finish. To prepare for the entire season, we've gathered the collective will and wit of Raptors Republic to talk through the offseason, preseason, and make predictions for the upcoming year. You can find part two here.
How would you rate Toronto’s offseason?
Adon Moss: To rate a Raptors offseason is to try to calculate the virtuosity of an artist; to make empirical the radiance of a moon illuminating the darkness of a wooded winter's night; to say yes or no to the dubiosity of our very purpose as sentient beings. What is or will be, time and patience will reveal soon enough.
Josh Howe: Let me just brush past all the Kevin Durant-related jokes. One second. … Ah, there we go.
The Raptors had a good offseason! It may not have been flashy, but retaining key pieces in Boucher and Young while adding freshly crowned NBA champion Porter bolsters what was a 48-win team last season despite a litany of injuries to core talent. Selecting Koloko in the draft, too, looks to be another sly victory for Ujiri, Webster, and company.
Simon Broder: I would give the Raptors a solid B- on their offseason. They did everything they needed to do in terms of keeping the core together and bringing back key contributors from last season, and Otto was a shrewd addition (provided he can stay healthy for a decent chunk of the season). And for all the talk of bringing in a big name, doing so would have almost certainly meant moving out a cornerstone player, so it's understandable that they were hesitant to do so.
Louis Zatzman: The Raptors only know two speeds for offseasons: Calm and steady or set the world on fire. So sure, they didn’t set the world on fire after bowing out to the Philadelphia 76ers. But Otto Porter jr. is a nice add, and Christian Koloko could be a very nice add. That’s enough. So how about a B+, I suppose. Slow and steady and all that.
