Analyst slams Raptors for low ceiling, but they can surprise people

The Toronto Raptors don't have high expectations going into the season.

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram rubs his fingers together after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are going into the season not expected to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but they also aren't expected to be one of the worst.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley wonders if the Raptors have a chance to be competitive and fight for a playoff spot or they will remain in the lottery.

"You can look over the Raptors roster and come away with the impression that this group might be halfway decent. What's trickier to figure out is how it will be better than that—this season, but also moving forward," Buckley wrote.

"Toronto could've entered a full-scale rebuild while shredding all the remnants of its 2019 title team, but it never really went that route. It really just pivoted toward a younger core that has some promise but could struggle to reach the highs of the old DeMar DeRozan-Kyle Lowry-led Raptors.

"Find the superstar among the Scottie Barnes-Brandon Ingram-RJ Barrett-Immanuel Quickley-Jakob Poeltl quintet. It's impossible, right? Well, the Raptors better not believe that, otherwise why are they paying them a combined $156.5 million this season (and even more the next)? Toronto has thrown tons of resources at a team that figures to see its best-case scenario top out around the sixth seed."

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram looks on against the Brooklyn Nets. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

What is Raptors' ceiling?

With a number of teams expected to regress in the East this season like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, the Raptors are viewed as a team that improved this summer. Brandon Ingram's inclusion on the roster will improve the offense, so there's reason to believe the team will win more than 30 games if he is healthy.

Health plays a big factor for this roster, especially considering the fact that a lot of the team's top players have had serious injuries in the past. Immanuel Quickley's addition as the point guard should also make a big difference.

The Raptors' early part of the season will shed some of the mystery off for the roster that has a wide range of possibilities.

Could the Raptors bottom out and face a serious identity crisis after the season? Yes.

Could the Raptors squeak out a spot in the Play-In Tournament and maybe get a playoff series? Also yes.

The answers will begin to truly reveal themselves when the Raptors' season opener tips off on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.