A 2023-2024 Review and a 2024-2025 Preview – The Varsity

Toronto is looking to youth for inspiration in the new season

With falling leaves, pumpkins galore, and Thanksgiving meals, October is here — and with it, the return of the NBA.

Raptors fans are more excited than ever and after what they saw last season, everyone is ready for a fresh start. How will the Raptors do this year? Let’s take a look at the Toronto Raptors’ 2024-2025 season.

Last season

The 2023-2024 Raptors season was a season to remember for Toronto basketball fans. The team’s performance was unbearable, ending with a record of 25–57 – the fourth worst in franchise history. This record is just ahead of the 2010-2011 season (22 wins), the 1995-1996 season (21 wins) and the Expansion era 1997–1998 seasonin which there were only 16 wins.

Everything seemed to fall apart for the Raptors on March 1 against the Golden State Warriors when Raptors small forward Scottie Barnes broke his hand on a layup and missed the rest of the NBA season.

Without Barnes, they were by far the worst team in the NBA over the final five weeks of the season, as the Raptors finished the season with a 3-19 record.

News of Barnes’ season-ending injury was a blow to Raptors fans and deepened the disappointment that his best season came to naught. Barnes averaged a career-high 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists, making him key to the Raptors’ rebuild.

While the play on the pitch was disappointing, there were scandals off the pitch – particularly one with Jontay Porter – ultimately sealed the team’s fate. The former Toronto Raptors center received a lifetime ban from the NBA after an internal investigation found he placed bets on basketball games and passed information to another bettor to improve their chances of winning.

This news spread across the NBA and many players expressed disbelief at Porter’s actions. “I never [encountered a] Situation like this before,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković.

Not only did the Raptors end the season with a dismal record, but they also saw their hopes of finishing in the top 10 dashed. After the first half of the 2023-2024 season, they wanted to earn a lower position in the league in hopes of increasing their chances of securing a top-10 draft pick via the draft lottery. However, this strategy ultimately yielded no results. Instead, they acquired Jakob Poeltl and the eighth overall pick was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. The Raptors had to wait until the 19th pick when they drafted Ja’Kobe Walter.

The Raptors’ 2023-2024 season was marked by disarray as the team experienced several low points, including the worst home loss in franchise history – a 48-point deficit – and a 15-game losing streak in April. To say last season was difficult for Raptors fans is an understatement.

So what can Raptors fans look forward to this season?

New signings

In June, the Toronto Raptors bolstered their young roster by signing free agent center Branden Carlson to a two-way deal and trading Jalen McDaniels to the Sacramento Kings for forward Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and the No. 45 pick.

Both players are expected to receive decent minutes per game as the Raptors aim to build chemistry between their current players and new additions.

July was the busiest month of the offseason for Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri. He made several selections in the 2024 NBA Draft, most notably selecting guard Walter to a rookie contract as well as point guard Jonathan Mogbo. Adding these pieces will help the Raptors prepare for the future.

The Raptors are strategically recruiting young talent while also bringing in experienced veterans to support their development. In free agency, the Raptors signed veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple to mentor the younger players, along with another young player, point guard Jamal Shead.

Contract extensions

In addition to signing new players, two key Raptors players were in line for new contracts, most notably former New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley. The deal is worth around $175 million over five seasons. Quickley is an exceptional player who will contribute significantly to the team’s growth.

The biggest signing of the summer for the Raptors was Barnes’ maximum contract extension as a rookie. Barnes’ contract is worth $225 million and could rise to $270 million if he meets the terms Supermax criteria. Like Quickley, Barnes also has a five-year contract. With this signing, the Raptors have created their core for what appears to be a rebuilding phase of the organization.

Expectations

What can we expect from this year’s Toronto Raptors? For fans hoping that the Raptors could compete for a playoff spot, I’m sorry to say that it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. The team is still finding its identity and its core players are still too green. During a press conference on September 30, Ujiri was asked to describe the upcoming season, to which he replied, “I would use the word rebuild.”

On the bright side, the Raptors now have a clear direction for the team. With the right young talent around them, they could become a force to be reckoned with in a few years.

Fans have seen many players come and go with the Raptors, but with a young core that includes Barnes, Quickley, Gradey Dick and others, they can be optimistic about the team’s long-term future.