The Toronto Raptors know who they are

It’s one game.

An exhibition game.

The first exhibition game.

There’s not much to expect. Not yet anyway. Especially for a team like the Toronto Raptors, who come into this year with so much youth and so much still unknown. Not like their opponent, the Denver Nuggets, anyway, who are as veteran as a team gets these days in the NBA.

No, the Toronto Raptors have lots to figure out. Even NBA intellectual extraordinaire, Zach Lowe, on his latest podcast with John Hollinger, proclaimed Toronto as one of the most confusing NBA teams heading into the season.

Rightfully so. All the way down the roster there remain questions about fit, roles, rotations, long-term vision, you name it. General Manager, Bobby Webster, might claim to know the answers to those questions; so, too, might head coach, Darko Rajaković. But from the outside looking in, it’s all opaque.

That’s why the anticipation for the Toronto Raptors’ first preseason game in Vancouver last night was so high. There is, and will continue to be, so much to discern from this team.

Except for one thing: their identity.

“It’s a group of fighters,” Coach Rajaković said when asked about it prior to the game. “Chemistry between those guys is amazing. They support each other, love each other. They, also, every single practice, they really go at each other. They really compete.”

That might sound like the platitudes of every coach ever. To suggest otherwise would mean you might not be coaching all that well. Or, that you’re begging for mutiny. Players don’t have to like each other for a team to excel – let alone love each other. But a coach, certainly, isn’t going to let on that there’s malcontent or discord either.

That’s not the case here. There’s no way to conceal this team’s radiance. What Darko is saying can’t be denied. Watch these guys; watch the coaches; watch the staff. Once you get a front-row seat to this team, it’s clear as day: this team has a vibe.

Standing on the sideline yesterday, hours before the game, I watched most of the Raptors go through drills. Everyone was barking. Coaches called out orders. Development staff talked trash. Players answered back. It was loud. The arena was empty, but it was loud.

It felt natural too. Like this was just another day for these guys. Another of the many cheerful, vigorous battles they’ve endured since training camp started.

Then bang. All that positive energy crescendoed into one mean, unforgiving dunk.

It had seemed harmless at first. The guys were going through the motions of finishing at the rim through contact. They’d avoid coaches either trailing them on their back side or, in Coach Naofall Folahan’s case, challenging them at the rim.

Coach Folahan had been loud. He’d, honestly, been most responsible for the session’s general raucousness than the players. I wouldn’t say he had it coming, but all that jawing and taunting, he mighta had it coming.

I’m not sure if anything was directed at Jamison Battle or not. I guess it doesn’t really matter because all of the sudden Battle rose up, extended, and smashed it all over the bragadocious Folahan.

The gym erupted.

Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter, who were stretching and warming up off the floor, roared in absolute elation. Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed the court. To celebrate Battle, for sure, but to punk Folahan, no question.

That was at 5:15 pm. The game was still two hours away. The guys were already in a lather.

The NBA is swinging back to those older days. Back when the boys were tough and weren’t no cowards. Where fouls were hard; where respect was earned; and, where defence actually meant something! Goshdarnit.

Both the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder exemplified the sea change this past NBA Playoffs. If you want to win in the NBA, you have to play hard and you have to defend.

And that, from day one, is what Coach Rajaković has instilled in this group. “This team, this year’s team, is going to be a team that has a lot of fight”.

Much has been ballyhooed about the Toronto Raptors’ defensive turnaround last season – having one of the highest defensive ratings following the All-Star break. For a team that was in full tank mode, it was a significant accomplishment. Most importantly, though, it was a sign of what’s to come.

“We want to play with force, to play in transition, and be aggressive…we’ll just continue to build on our aggressiveness…it’s really important for us to create our identity,” Darko explained when asked about what he expects from the preseason.

And what’s to come arrived on Monday.

There, Immanuel Quickley – truly looking stronger and fitter than last year – was, seconds into an exhibition game, picking Jamal Murray up full court. And there the meddlesome Scottie Barnes was eating flying elbows from Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valančiūnas on nearly consecutive possessions. And there Jamal Shead was hounding guys and drawing an illegal screen. And Collin Murray-Boyes stonewalling vets with 40 lbs on him. Guys were doubling and trapping. Scoring transition buckets off misses and makes. Yelling and demanding reviews. Clapping in the faces of old teammates.

It wasn’t even half-time yet.