Where Do The Toronto Raptors RANK In The East Heading Into The Draft And Free Agency

Where Do The Toronto Raptors RANK In The East Heading Into The Draft And Free Agency

the draft and free agency are almost here Just how much work do the Raptors have to do this summer to be relevant in the East again you are Locked On Raptors your daily Toronto Raptors podcast part of the Locked On Network Your team every day It’s your favorite part of the day Thanks for making Locked on Raptors your first listen every day I’m VC Jacob I’ve been covering the Toronto Raptors for eight seasons across several outlets You can follow it all on X Instagram and YouTube And be sure to check out the Lockdown Raptors Discord where you can talk all things basketball but especially the Raptors Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time Download the Game Time app create an account and use code lockdown NBA for $20 off your first purchase Let’s get this party started On this Thursday June the 19th I’m joined by someone you’ve grown familiar with seeing pregame midgame postgame during Raptors broadcast She’s giving you all the little scoops One of the fastest rising stars in the game It’s NBA and WNBA reporter Savannah Hamilton How are you doing Sam i’m good How are you man that’s quite the intro I feel I’m feeling myself right now Thank you You should You should And happy to have you on the show Happy to talk some raps Are you ready yeah let’s do it I’m I’m excited You know listen I saw your questions I’m ready for them Let’s go Agree Can’t agree We got to get straight to it So you know for this episode I wanted to pretty much after this it’s going to be all draft centric Next week is obviously going to be heavy on the draft Before we got into that I wanted to look at where the Raptors are right now and kind of be like “Hey this is where the team’s at and how much needs to change or can change through draft free agency maybe some trades for some big fish uh to get this team um into maybe the upper echelon of the East So to start off we want to look at the Raptor starting five As of right now it projects to be Emanuel Quickley RJ Barrett Brandon Ingram Scotty Barnes and Yakapurto How do you see this team ranking out this starting five ranking out in the East yeah I mean already right there let’s see you got that’s two allstars So sorry So you got two allstars in the starting lineup and I think already like like especially with Scotty and Brandon being like versatile players Um and then of course you have Yaka Pearl who was just had put up literally one of his career best seasons uh last season Um and he’s feeling more comfortable He likes where he’s getting the ball on the court Honestly like I see this and he’s he’s literally one of the best centers right now in the league So I kind of see this starting lineup being um just kind of see the starting lineup being like you know a top I would put them top five there I I would see them as a top five starting lineup I think you know obviously like there’s going to be some um familiarizing uh in the beginning of the season you know going up against like really strong teams in the East of course like you know Cleveland’s still a good team Boston’s still a good team like there’s going to be already like legacy programs that and by legacy I mean more recent history legacy not like um but like that have already um that have already like you know just have uh like that roster that depth and that familiar familiarity with each other Um and this is like all accounting that like you know we don’t know if they’re going to make any moves but as it sits right this very moment I would see them as probably slotting it right at number five five Um just because like yeah they you know outside of the piece with Brandon Ingram uh the rest of the guys are are pretty uh they kind of built something going in from last year And uh I think with Brandon Ingram that that’s where the fit is going to have to like work itself out on the court They have luckily an entire off seasonason entire preeason to kind of figure that out and what that looks like And it sounds like Brandon Ingram’s one of those allstars that loves sharing the ball want he he made it clear he wanted to play with Yaka Pearl that went into his decision of coming to Toronto in the first place So I think we have a a star like him that um just kind of wants to do that I think I think it’s very telling Yeah No I I think five is pretty much the range of where you’re talking about this team because let’s face it you’re giving Indiana that respect They’re in the finals right you have to I remember when you said that um Indiana’s going to be in the finals this year I remember that Yeah Yeah I remember that too I’m thinking back Yeah Always had Pascal’s back Yeah So you know I think uh you put Indiana there I think you still give the Cavs their respect They had a 64 win season I think I think they got a little uh unlucky with injuries uh in that second round matchup I would have loved to see uh you know Garland healthy Um Moy missed that game too I think that could have been uh you know it was an entertaining series even though it was just five games but I think uh I would still give the Cavs that respect Um the Knicks we don’t know who their head coach is going to be but I still think you know when you look at that lineup with Brunson and Cat and Bridges and OG um I think that’s still a team that you would put uh ahead of Toronto Uh then of course the Celtics even without Tatum you’re going to have Holiday White Porzingis We again we don’t know what’s going to happen with the trades Uh but right now again we’re assessing right now Y and so I think you have to give them uh that credit Yeah And then we got a team that snuck up on us a couple of days ago and got Desmond Bane right the the Orlando Magic Respect on their name Yeah So now they’ve got a starting five That’s Jaylen Suggs Desmond Bane France Vagner Bonero and then you know you put one of Carter Jr Betad uh in that starting five at the center And so I think that’s you know that’s that’s the fifth team right there Oh so you have you have Raptor at six Uh I have the Raptors potentially at seven because Oh whoa Okay So who’s your six then who’s your six i’m I’m the host now Well it comes down to as always with this team the Philadelphia 76ers No I don’t I don’t believe in their consistency That’s fair That’s fair But they do have the number three pick They do have uh I thought a good acquisition at the deadline in Quinton Grimes You put Maxi you put Paul George um you put Joel Embiid and I get it You know I think generally we base a lot of things of off of what we’ve just seen right and I think that’s where it’s like oh this team is such a surprise But it’s really like it it all comes down to Embiid right yeah And he hasn’t played over 40 games in a minute And so that’s where I think they’re an X factor I would put the Raptors ahead for now Yeah But I would say I would not be surprised say for example if we go into the season and now it’s like okay the Raptors might have like the seventh best starting five And let’s not forget the Detroit Pistons did some things this season too Yo I was just going to say like can we talk about the Pistons for a second because that’s definitely the X factor I don’t think anybody saw coming based on the season before this past season like they were literally dead last in the league remember that game that the Raptors had to play them around uh it was just I think around December right after the OG trade and uh yeah that was like one of the worst basketball games I think that anybody could say that they’ve had to experience Um and so yeah like I think so but but so for Detroit to go from there where they’re putting a record of like the most losses ever in like sports history let alone NBA history um like to turn around the following season and and make the playoffs and then put up a real fight against New York where it could have gone it was I think it was most one of the most underrated playoff series Um it’s it’s very telling Uh I would actually probably slot Detroit almost it’s hard it’s hard because like I want to put them actually under the Raptors like right after the Raptors Okay So that’s where you got them I actually think and this might be my hot take for next season I think Detroit will actually slide just a little bit I think that they caught a lot of teams off guard this season and I think they made some big strides defensively and so I think that part of it is real Uh I think you know especially in that Knicks series the way they defended was a big part of it um it is going to come back better uh from the experience that he had in in the playoffs but do feel there was that element of like no one really saw this team coming and next season everyone’s going to know what they’re about and so I would not be surprised like they finished with 44 wins this season I would not be surprised if they still ended up next season somewhere between like 40 and 44 wins Yeah I don’t think that they’re going to like you know dramatically increase their regular season wins Maybe a little bit The reason why I say that is because of the playoff experience but then also like they have pieces and we don’t know how free free agency is going to land with them We don’t know how the draft is going to land with them Um or even even if they decide to trade their pick or something like that So but without without that inconsideration I think the thing that they really kind of bought into and that really caught this generation of basketball off is the fact that they’re kind of they kind of brought back the bad boys the Detroit Bad Boys a little bit And I know that like you know talking to the coach and everything that they’re not trying to like you know they’re not trying to be the bad boys but they are trying to like you know have that same I guess energy the same vibe and you can see it on the court like they’re not afraid to get physical in a league that we haven’t seen a lot of physicality in in a while So and I think that’s I I like it because I think it challenges uh the refs It challenges um the other the opponents and I think it’s kind of a bit of an X factor when you’re playing basketball Like oh we’re up against the the physical tough team today Okay All right We got to be physical too But like if you’re not used to playing like that then and they are then it’s it’s a different factor there So I’m just looking at that solely alone But I think they would slot in right after the Raptors I actually would have them So if you have the Raptors six which okay but you know what i’ll allow it because Orlando was nice Orlando was nice So hopefully it’s that come together for for that But if they if you have the Raptor six I would put them probably seventh Okay Okay Um now before we move on I just want to quickly touch on the teams that are that finished above the Raptors but maybe next season you know we we feel that they should be better than Miami Heat I I feel like the Raptors have a better starting five Yeah definitely Uh the Atlanta Hawks obviously they had Jaylen Johnson uh suffer that injury Um but I still think that they have a better overall starting five Yeah Um and then the Chicago Bulls How do you feel about that an upset Nothing moves the needle for me with the Bulls Yeah Yeah Okay So I’ve got the Raptors sixth right now Maybe seventh You’ve got them fifth And on the other side we will look at the benches Lollipop is a new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda but want something that supports their health With just two to five grams of sugar and 9 g of prebiotic fiber in every can Lollipop is reimagining soda in a way that’s better for your gut Traditional sodas are loaded with sugar like 39 g in a regular Coke or 44 gram in an orange Fanta Ollipop flips that script with just a fraction of the sugar no artificial sweeteners and gut- friendly ingredients like Olly Smart a blend shown to support digestive and overall health It’s soda that tastes like the real thing but actually does something good for your body I’m pretty big on my health so swapping out a regular soda for one that actually supports my gut health has been amazing Trust me you feel the difference Get a free can of Lollipop Just buy any two cans in store and they’ll reimburse you for one Head to drinkllipop.com/lockedonba to claim your free can and find lollipop near you That’s drinkallipop.com/locked onnba Sav we are back at it Going to look at the Raptors bench depth And so you know to begin you’ve got Jamal Shed Grady Dick Jacobe Walter Oiabaji Jonathan Mo Jameson Battle We’ll see where he figures into all of this First off I do think that this is a very young bench Um and how do you think that will play out this season where there are playoff expectations and you’re looking to take that step from hey you know you’ve had these growth opportunities you you’ve had these developmental opportunities where maybe winning isn’t necessarily the priority and it’s more so about the reps but now for a young bench to have these expectations where you where you need to contribute to winning how do you think that’s going to shake out for this group yeah Yeah a young Yeah I I think it’s going to be better than you expect That’s that’s my take because I think we saw the young bench like listen let’s call what is all of last season was development for this bench like for the young guys like they were always playing Jacobe hit that gamewinner was it over Orlando I believe Um and yeah nobody saw that coming you know they they put up quite the fight against Indiana like you know when everybody you know everyone’s saying race to the flag Um yeah capture the flag Sorry capture the flag You know you saw tons of time given to younger teams across the league Um but then definitely like with the Raptors prioritizing development um you saw tons of time given to the young guys and I thought the young guys really stacked up well against other teams bench um they were winning games when they weren’t supposed to be tactically you know like they’re they were really doing uh uh I not not that they weren’t supposed to be but more like they weren’t expected to Um and I think that’s very telling And I think that with this off season now you know you have you have give Jamal Shed an extra year Jamal Shed was already starting to break rookie records of even Scotty’s last year like in assists Um you have Grady who’s coming into his third year We all know that like the sophomore slump is real He didn’t really hit a hardcore sophomore slump though He kind of just like he had a really uh hot start and then kind of just like maybe dwindled a little bit but then like came back up with some consistency before he got injured Um and so like I would expect good things from Grady Um and then like Jacobe like like I said like the game winner like I I think our Raptors bench is going to be better than people is are going to expect I feel like that might be the dark horse in the league Um another reason why I would have the Raptors even slotting in fifth uh in the East because um yeah and like I said give them an extra year give them an extra summer give them some physical training and everything like that and they’re they’re going to be a lot better So that’s how I see it What about you where do you have our bench game i know this is a very strong East right now too Yeah No exactly I think again you know one of one of the biggest strengths of the Pacers has been their depth right so I I think they’re the team that you probably put at the top Frankly I think they probably have the best depth in the league Um and that’s something that’s kind of played out even against the Thunder where obviously the Thunder have the best player in the series but I think the depth is why they’re able to make these comebacks The depth is why they’re able to play relentlessly for 48 minutes So I have them top of the East in terms of uh depth Uh I think the Cavs like the way they stagger their minutes I think is what you know allows them to kind of take over uh in these like you know late first early second quarter uh stretches the late third or early fourth and like put these games away Um and I think the thing that is probably underrated about the Pistons is their depth I think that uh when you look at especially after the acquisition of Dennis Schroeder like he fit in so well on that team and like leading that bench unit and like bringing experience to a team that doesn’t really have much and so and then then you have a guy that I thought should have been sixman of the year Malik Beasley Um and I thought he was incredible Uh and you know all respect to Peyton Pritchard Uh but I just felt like you know when when you’re on a lesser team I think it’s that much more of a challenge Um and so and so that’s why I felt that Beasley should have been the six-man but all good And then and then the other thing too is like Tim Hardaway Jr was starting all these games uh because of the Jaden Ivy injury And so now you get Ivy back in the starting lineup Hardway goes to the bench That boosts your bench Mhm Um and then you you’ve still got Isaiah Stewart who you know got injured and missed those playoff games So I actually think their depth is a bit underrated Um and then I think the Celtics depth is one that’s arguably going to get worse because they’re going to have Sam Hower coming to the starting lineup for Tatum most likely I mean this is based on what we know now right like we don’t know what transactions are going to happen Uh and then I do think you know I just said we don’t know what transactions are going to happen but I do expect Al Horford to leave uh in free agency because I think that you know he’s going to recognize that they’re not going to be in the contention picture next season And with him pretty much at the end of the road uh of his career I think he’s going to prioritize uh a team that can give him that Um and what do you make of like uh and I you know I’d be curious if if one of the teams he’d be interested in would be well maybe if you want to go to a win now team then okay I see that but like I would be curious to see if he would go be interested in going to a team like Orlando because Orlando’s building something special you could see it before your eyes It might it’s not going to any team tomorrow but what do you I’m going to ask you like what do you think of their bench i know I like I like flipping host now Uh so what do I think of Orlando’s bench So I think they’re an interesting team Like if you like were to stack them up against the Raptors Yeah You’re looking at Anthony Black Uh Jonathan Isaac Mo Vagner obviously was a huge injury for them That really hurt them Yeah Um so he should be back I thought Tristan Dilva had like an interesting rookie year so he should be better uh this season And then Goa Bat I think as a backup is pretty decent Mhm Uh so I think that their depth stacks up pretty nicely I don’t think Horford would go to them I think he would like a more ready-made contender cuz I I think if he has to decide between the Celtics and the Magic then he’d just say “Why not the Celtics?” I just want to stay Yeah If you’re if you’re trying like I said if you’re trying to do a win now team but like you know arguably the Celtics were supposed to be that win now team Um but that’s that’s how much like Tatum’s Achilles changes things right like And and I think I think it’d be interesting if Al Horford uh looked at the Pacers Like I think that’s a team there that you know what Al Horford’s like ketchup He goes with everything Like he could go he goes with everything He could like he he would fit in to their style of play Like he might have to you know get the conditioning up a little bit and maybe that might be a bit of a challenge at 39 But um you’re going you’re using him more for like I mean don’t get me wrong he could still play and this is why he’s still in the league but you’re a guy like Al Horford you’re kind of adding a locker room vet in in experience in the in I would see yeah if I almost see okay this is a great NBA finals that is unfolding in front of us right now If Indiana doesn’t come out with this one I could see Al Horford easily landing there if they do win this one I don’t think that’s gonna be I can’t see that that move happening Um but yeah anyway coming back to the Celtics I do think their depth is going to take a hit Uh I think the Sixers depth is pretty weak still Um you’re looking at you know Jared Butler being the backup point guard Um Kelly Ubé obviously can give you some scoring Yabisell had like a pretty decent season last season but obviously there was just so much opportunity Someone had to do something with it with all the injuries Um so again you know in terms of depth you would put uh the Bucks below the Raptors Uh I think the Raptors have better depth than the Heat uh than the Hawks as well So this is I think the Raptors here So I I had the starting lineup sixth I think the bench I could see being you know fifth uh in the East I think the the top four in terms of depth would be Pacers Cavs Piston Ma Magic I think the Knicks don’t have great depth or at least we haven’t seen it because you know we know how Tom Tibido plays his guys and now we’ll see if the Knicks do anything different with a new coach Have they called you yet they don’t need that They definitely don’t need that Never say never eh yeah they you know they they actually sent in a request but uh you know I Yeah I got locked in Yeah exactly So I have them fifth Where do you have the Raptors bench yeah Okay so stop stealing my number Um I have them as fifth Like literally like I think every for all the reasons like you literally just went went through everything and like um like I said like I I think that they are a young upand cominging they’re hungry They’ve shown tremendous signs of growth last season Um and when you stack it against the East I just don’t see a whole lot of teams prioritizing bench these days Like I feel like everyone’s kind of going like starting five star heavy Um and on and if you match that with all the injuries that have happened uh just this past season alone like you know a lot of you kind of start shaking it out and you’re like after you shake the tree like you say like oh wait I think the Raptors like they’re about they’re like I said I said before at the top of the show I’ll say it again they’re top five I think Um and this is once again without the free agency without the drafts like being a consider consideration here um even like what they do with the draft pick if they decide to trade the draft pick and get like a big another big name like they have some great options I think more than what people give them credit for Um and so that’s going to get real interesting But I think as it even is right now only the thing that the Raptors need to really focus on and lock on is this backup center like and this is where I think you look at the draft you look at free agency because backup center position unless you want the hybrid model like you know Jonathan Mo is kind of like that hybrid center power forward you can slot him in a little bit but you know they also got Colin Castleton but you know these guys are like they’re definitely young like this is where the inexperience shows I think there not saying that they can’t take steps over the summer and surprise everybody by preseason next year But um I think if you want to really establish yourself you get a strong like at least a five sixyear veteran player in the league vet Um that is like a center and then I think you’re flying I think that might even move the needle to even a top four because like I said teams just don’t really prioritize bench as much as their like starting lineup And um but the Raptors on the other hand they’re kind of like Indiana in the way that they they develop overall Uh and they’ve kind of been forced to they’ve they’ve historically they’ve always been forced to be the the team that develops Yeah Yeah All right There it is Just bring Alford to Toronto then Yeah Yeah Let’s go right in Coming up on the other side we will get to where the we see the Raptors ranking overall There’s nothing like the NBA playoffs Game time makes it fast and easy to get seats even for the biggest playoff games Prices on the app actually drop closer to tip off And with killer lastminute deals panoramic seat views and no surprise fees game time is a total game changer If you’re a soccer fan there’s 10% off exclusive zone deals for FIFA Club World Cup matches And with the game time guarantee you know you’re getting the best deal If you find a better price in the same row and section they’ll credit you 110% of the difference If you’re not a fan of that footy there’s the NFL The schedule recently dropped and Game Time makes scoring NFL tickets just as easy You’ll find great seats for as low as $100 thanks to exclusive discounts And with the Game Time guarantee your tickets are 100% authentic We’ll arrive on time and you’ll always get the best price with fees included And so what you see is what you pay Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time Download the Game Time app create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply Again create an account and redeem code locked on NBA for $20 off Download the Game Time app today Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed All right we are ready to wrap it up Sav you know we’ve gone through the starting lineup we’ve gone through the benches and to finish up you know we talked about hey let’s see where this team is pre-draft pre- free agency pre-trades so that we kind of can assess maybe at a later date how much further they’ve gone And so right now that we’ve gone through the starting lineup the benches where do you see this team stacking up in the East just overall Yep You know what I’m gonna say mamo number five Let’s go Number five I really do I was a top five team Um you know he might people might say that’s kind of optimistic or that’s a little like pushing the ballot maybe but like I I don’t I’ll stay I’ll say my whole chest I’ll stand on business Like I think that like you know when you have a a center that is highly pursued and sought after you could tell like just like by all the rumors he’s always in Yaka Yakapurle like he’s he’s been playing like Shaq like everyone’s calling Shaka Purle like you can’t really like money can’t really buy like a great center like him like yeah sure it can but like not really because like there’s not just there’s just not too many like guys like him in the league that are like seven foot and and or above seven foot and have that concrete stature that have great passing vision that can also have a fine touch around the rim You know you almost have a trade-off in that position So that for me moves the needle Um and also even in the east like you know start think about the centers in the east A lot of them are hybrids A lot of them aren’t as concrete But then after that okay you have Brandon Ingram that was a huge like needle mover Um you have Scotty going to play right next to him Um and the rest of it the way it shakes out like you got some great pieces that slot in around around these guys Um and I think everybody’s hungry and that’s the best part Everyone’s hungry for a championship right now Um and whether that is going to be in the forefront or whether that that’s going to be possible this season to be determined Probably not But like you know that is the goal and I think that that this season is a huge step towards that Um and then as we talk about the bench like we haven’t even talked about Grady like like enough We really haven’t talked about Grady enough Um you know like Grady’s an amazing shooter Like there’s your shooter So uh I think like as long as he keeps on developing himself you know there’s going to be times where like I could see Grady even stepping into a starting lineup role just because like they need depending on the matchup they need like the the range as well Um and then outside of that like you know the benches of what we already what we already mentioned but if you look across the East like yeah okay we got put some respect on Indiana’s name for sure Put some respect on Boston still Um Cleveland of course Cleveland’s a great regular season team Um and like we said it was unfortunate about their injury but hopefully they could bounce back a little bit at least for the regular season Um there you go And then um and then you know you could have you could argue like after that like who takes number four it could be it could be Orlando even you know like um and so I think that it’s going to be What about New York and New York and New York That’s right Uh New York or it could be six Okay I’m gonna say I’m gonna say that Raptors do better than expected if they’re not sixth or fifth But I so I’m gonna I’m gonna say still stand on my business and say fifth because even with Orlando they might need some time to like mesh because even last year they were so injuryridden that like sometimes it doesn’t take necessarily like the next season to make the biggest step and like crack a top three or top four Um I mean Brandon Ingram hasn’t played a game with these guys Yeah but everybody else has Yeah So and Brandon Ingrams he’s an all-star for a reason He’s He’s not the type of All-Star that constantly needs the ball in his hand either So that’s why I’m like I have I feel good I’m going to lock that down Lock on number five Okay we got Sav bringing the positivity number I’m positive I’m trying to be a realist I just see the best in this team All right there we go Uh I still feel like looking at the team as is uh the three-point shooting is still pretty weak I think you know you’re depending on quickly you’re depending on Grady Um and beyond that you know it’s going to be on a night-to-ight basis what you get right like you need Brandon Ingram like last last season him attempting six threes a game like you need that at a minimum Um I think on this team and so you know I think that’s a big weakness when considering how important that is in the modern NBA You don’t want him You don’t want him taking six threes no I’m saying he needs to be taking a minimum of six A minimum of six Okay Okay Yeah Like if anything that needs to go up with the Raptors because of Yeah I was going to say game Yeah Exactly So how willing is he to change his game you know because we know he’s like a mid-range assassin and so he’s going to I think have to adapt from that standpoint And so uh I I still think they have to prove things defensively I I do feel like even though you know we saw the defensive rating really high and uh that was primarily in the second half of the season when they were playing a lot of sub 500 teams So I do think you know next year that defense will get really tested in terms of how good it really is Um so for me uh maybe I’m setting the expectations a little low uh going into the draft and free agency and whatnot I am gonna put this team seventh I seven I could Okay I could see them going as low as seventh and as high as fifth So they’re in that that mid-range area Um I like I I’m just going to have a bit more confidence in them and and say that I would see them at fifth But I but yeah if if it’s a slow start if it takes some time to get used to if you if if their shooting is not hot out of the gate um and they got to find their find it you know and and that and that wouldn’t even be that’s not even a hot take like that that we’ve seen so much uh lack of consistency from three historically then yeah they could probably slot down to seven But I just don’t I think for me it’s like it’s not about how good the Raptors are it’s about the rest of the East as well Yeah Yeah I’m like okay all everything you’re saying makes sense of course but like but then when you look around the rest of the East I’m like yeah but everybody’s moving and shaking and things are not 100% certain right now New players are coming Yeah So so I digress I stay strong at you stay strong at seventh Yeah Yeah So just to finish up uh over the course of draft free agency trades how far do you think the Raptors can get like say you know I think that even with the moves made barring a Giannis trade the best the Raptors can probably move up to in my estimation is five or four Hm Are for you if you have them fifth you know through the draft through free agency through trades uh and we’ll leave a Giannis trade out of this Okay What do you think how much progress do you think can be made over the summer if Giannis gets landed back we’re we’re coming back on the show Yeah Yeah 100% We That’s the greatest part We didn’t even talk about the Bucks as is right now We haven’t even touched them Um yeah but if uh yeah if Giannis barring that he doesn’t come and there’s other moves made um yeah that’s like that’s the ultimate X factor because literally one piece could be the biggest difference and you don’t even like it could literally take you from a seventh team to a third team in the East or like a se or you know a um a fifth a fifth slot to I would I won’t ever go as high as number one or two I won’t go as high as number one or two I feel like like that’s the thing for me right like I I’d still say like barring Giannis like the Cavs the Knicks the Pacers I think it’s going to be tough to touch them Maybe even the Celtics I think I honestly think for me it’s like you might get up a fourth slot because even if there is all that trade action and stuff like that like okay now there’s familiarizing themselves with the new player like even if they did get like a bigname player like I don’t I just don’t see like with the rest of the group you know them able to like climb the standings So because the East like the top of the East is strong and then the rest of the East is like figuring themselves out So like that’s why I’m like and so and the Raptors slot somewhere in between the both of them So that’s why I’m like okay the Raptors are strong but they’re also figuring themselves out a little bit this going into this season Like I said they’ll have eyes on a championship but they’re definitely not like the win a championship now team Um meanwhile the other teams that we’re talking about they are the win a championship now team And so that’s why you can never put the Raptors in my opinion for this season as high as a top one or two And I don’t even know if that would be the goal per se you know Yeah Um but yeah definitely I think if they Yeah So I think barring uh any huge trades yeah I think you’re going to get them as maybe maybe a top three but I think that’s a little generous Yeah Yeah Well Sav this was a really fun chat and I’m glad you were able to join me for this one Uh for those listening thank you so much for joining us Make sure you hit that like and subscribe button Head on over to the Locked Onaptors Discord The link is in the description And thank you for making Lockdown Raptors your first listen today For your second listen check out the 2025 locked on NBA mockdraft a five episode series with the most comprehensive NBA draft analysis from NBA experts to college experts and NBA draft experts Find the 2025 locked on NBA mockdraft on NBA board and locked on NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts

The NBA Draft is under a week away which means free agency is under two weeks away. With that in mind, Vivek Jacob welcomed Raptors and WNBA reporter Savanna Hamilton to discuss how the Toronto Raptors stack up in the East currently and how much things could change over the summer.

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