Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the full picture. 8 years. The Raptors went to the playoffs for eight straight years, and brought one championship. A sustained streak of success in a league that is constantly looking for the “next one” is to be celebrated. In that time they produced two coaches of the year (Dwayne Casey, and Nick Nurse).

They made the bench mob which included three of the current starters including the highest-paid undrafted player (Fred Bet On Yourself VanVleet), and acquired draft picks which turned into OG Anunoby, and Norm Powell. They developed DeMar DeRozan, who is doing amazing things with the Bulls. And last, but most important acquired the Greatest Raptor of All Time (GROAT) aka Kyle Lowry. All in all, not a bad stretch of years. So the fact that we may be in the course of a second rougher than expected year isn’t that surprising. It’s just the cycle of pro sports.

It’s not as if there aren’t good reasons for the downturn. They have played most of the games in Florida for the last couple of seasons. It didn’t sound like Tampa was very hospitable last season, and I think we underestimate how much that move affected these players and even team development. How is management supposed to attract free agents when they don’t know when they’ll play? They didn’t. They got Arron Baynes, who might have been a victim of high expectation more than anything because he was signed to replace Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. You have to wonder as well if they’d been in Toronto would the Jalen Harris story have turned out different as well if they had their home resources?

This team is 75% new coming into this season. The only players that have played in Toronto as Raptors are: OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Chris Boucher, and Pascal Siakam. The rest are new to the city except for Dalano Banton, who grew up in Rexdale. It’s going to take time for this new group to settle down. They traded the franchise icon in one of the best break-up stories this team has ever had. He’s irreplaceable. Nick Nurse , the wizard of lineups, master of the box and one is experimenting with a new positionless basketball. So we have a team full of new players, playing in a new environment, and learning a new system riddled by injuries. It’s a recipe made for growing pains. Everyone had issues getting accustomed to each other.

The last few games they are settling. The jumping in and out of the lineup has slowed. With health comes hope for more wins. But no matter what, this is a fun team to watch, that always competes. If that is all this season is, then I’m okay with that.