Scottie Barnes is the face of the franchise, but he needs to take additional steps
Wednesday marks the 30th opening night for the Raptors when the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers provide the opposition at Scotiabank Arena.
Unlike the Cavs, whose success ultimately will be measured by playoff wins, the measuring stick surrounding this iteration of the Raptors is hard to properly define.
One could argue success in the absence of wins will be measured on how well Scottie Barnes is able to lift the play of his teammates.
One also can argue success will be based on how Immanuel Quickley emerges as a legitimate point guard capable of leading a team, while showing on-court chemistry with Barnes.
There’s an argument to be made on the growth of Gradey Dick, last year’s first-round pick who did show encouraging signs this pre-season.
His status for opening night remains in doubt following his shoulder setback sustained in the pre-season opener, but there’s plenty of curiosity surrounded RJ Barrett and whether he can take his game to another level.
There’s also the matter of head coach Darko Rajakovic as he enters his second season.
No one can possibly provide a full assessment of his rookie season given the circumstances Rajakovic had to navigate, but the jury still is out on whether he has what it takes to lead a young squad.
There are other players and issues worthy of watching, but the growth of the above five either will make or break the new season.
The Raptors say they are in a rebuild mode, but the moves this past off-season with mega extensions handed to Barnes and Quickley point to a franchise in transition.
Barnes’ deal won’t kick in until next season.
While it might seem foolish to look into the future when anew season hasn’t even tipped off, the clock on Barnes officially will tick when his new deal gets triggered in 2025.
And that’s why the coming season promises to be intriguing from a growth perspective.
The head coach must establish himself as legitimate, the star player whose ability to respond amid adversity is in question, the newly minted point guard, the Canadian wing whom some will have you believe already has reached his peak, the second-year sharpshooter who turns 21 next month.
Back when the first very game in Raptors history was played at SkyDome, a night when Ed Pinckney — better known for leading Villanova to a stunning upset over Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA final — jumped ball with Yinka Dare.
Easy Ed won the tip, Alvin Robertson scored the first basket en route to a game-high 30 points, the Raptors defeated the New Jersey Nets as Damon Stoudamire recorded a double-double.
The expansion Raptors were a collection of characters, some of whom had strong character, others with checkered pasts whose indiscretions eventually caught up to them.
It was a team coached by a basketball lifer in Brendan Malone, who tried to squeeze every ounce from his players.
The novelty of a first season and all the excitement added to the appeal.
When an NBA championship is won, when so many lineups are featured, so many storylines, so much chaos and change in the intervening years since that first win, an eventual fork in the road arrives and it will hit home in Wednesday’s home opener.
Win or lose to the Cavs, it’s important to gauge team chemistry, how hard players play, how well they execute on both ends, how well they respond in times of duress.
It will begin with Barnes as he enters his fourth season.
During his own rookie season, Rajakovic once opined that Barnes is a future face of the NBA.
To many, it was a stretch, but the head coach was merely coming to the defence of his star player following a bitter loss to the host L.A. Lakers when Rajakovic went on his epic post-game rant.
Barnes is clearly the Raptors best player, anointed by the franchise as its face.
He’ll face even more scrutiny this season with the added responsibilities he simply must handle. He made a huge jump last season, but now comes the hard part of taking his game to an even higher level.
What’s certain is that his body language must improve.
It’s a big year for Barnes because it should provide enough of a runway for the Raptors to discern whether it’s prudent to continue to build around Barnes or consider looking at acquiring someone who is better.
The team’s investment in Quickley is a pretty clear sign that he will be the incumbent point guard for the first time in his career. What isn’t clear is how the Barnes-Quickley tandem functions.
An ascending Dick may ultimately prove critical if the day comes when a big splash is required, which assumes a disgruntled superstar or depressed asset becomes available.
For now, it is opening night. The Raptors, outside of a handful of players, are inexperienced, a team whose depth will be tested as will their shooting and defence.
As long as he remains with the team, centre Jakob Poeltl, the old guard of the starting group, will provide that post presence the Raptors desperately need.
Poeltl acknowledges how the Raptors remain in that get-to-you-know phase.
The 2024-25 experiment begins Wednesday.
If anyone knows where this season is heading, they’re lying.