The good news for Toronto Raptors fans is that they are not totally in rebuilding mode. The bad news is that it could take them to the dreaded middle ground of mediocrity—battling for the lower seeds but not enough to win it all. The latter could be true now, but they may be a few moves away from being real title contenders. For now they’ll settle being one of the most exciting teams in the entire league.

2013-2014 Toronto Raptors Projected Depth Chart

PG – Kyle Lowry/D.J. Augustin/Dwight Buycks/Julyan Stone
SG – DeMar DeRozan/Terrence Ross
SF – Rudy Gay/Landry Fields/Steve Novak/Austin Daye
PF – Amir Johnson/Tyler Hansbrough/Quincy Acy
C – Jonas Valanciunas/Aaron Gray

3 Promises from Canada

1. “We’re Going to be a Fun Team!” - Featuring a slew of athletes—especially in the wings spots in Derozan, Gay and Novak Ross—plus the promise of a big man in Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors may pull off a few surprises in the 2013-14 NBA season.

The first three are known for their aerial antics. Their starting SG and SF could be the most athletic in the entire league. The center, meanwhile, is due for a breakout season after a rookie year worthy of his 5th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old from Lithuania logged in 8.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 62 games for the Raptors last season.

2. Winning Culture > Tanking – The Raptors did shed off the toxic contract of Andrew Bargnani ($23M left over the next two years) over the summer. However, it’s not to say that they are going to mail in the season. Quite the opposite, actually, as the roster has now more balance. On offense, they have Gay as the primary option.

Lowry can be an effective court general when healthy. DeRozan and Ross are nice two-way players; both plays good defense and can contribute on offense too-- same way with Valanciunas and Johnson, both of whom can rebound well and can hit the shots when needed. They also have a group of role players who, more or less, knows their respective roles: Landry and Novak can provide instant offense and Hansbrough provide constant energy off the bench.

3. Trade Activity – If by mid-season this does not look like a playoff team, new Toronto General Manager Masai Ujiri won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on major deals. Gay is the primary concern here, and he has $36M/2 years left in his contract.

The Verdict

Fearless Forecast: Nothing too bold in this prediction as mentioned in the first part of this article. They’ll get to 39 wins— enough for the 7th to 8th seeds in the East.

Other 2013-2014 NBA Teams Previews:

Phoenix Suns | Cleveland Cavaliers | Washington Wizards | Charlotte Bobcats | Philadelphia 76ers | Orlando Magic | Dallas Mavericks | Los Angeles Lakers | Chicago Bulls | Brooklyn Nets | Houston Rockets