3 Burning Questions Facing the Raptors This Season

The Toronto Raptors are just days away from the season opener against the Chicago Bulls, which will tip off their 82-game campaign.

There's a lot of intrigue about the Raptors going into the year, and there's reason to believe they can compete with the best in the Eastern Conference. Here's a look at three burning questions that will determine how successful they will become.

1. Is Kawhi Leonard the Real Deal?

Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard looks on during warm ups before the game against the New York Knicks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kawhi Leonard's brief preseason showing suggested that he is back in business for the Raptors. Toronto spent the entire offseason focused on acquiring him, and we're lucky we were able to get it done before the start of training camp.

Now that he's been in the building for a few weeks, he's been getting active and acclimating to the team. It looks like he is fitting in nicely, but fitting in during the preseason and the regular season are two different things. Leonard is going into his age 35 season, and he needs to be able to withstand the long days and months.

Leonard's availability has been a topic of controversy throughout his career, but if he's able to play in roughly 75% of the team's games and is healthy for the playoffs, Toronto should be a serious contender in the East.

2. Can Jakob Poeltl Be the Centre the Raptors Need Him to Be?

Los Angeles Clippers guard Darius Garland passes around Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Raptors have a bit of a question mark at the center position, especially when it comes to Jakob Poeltl. The team has already signed Poeltl to a three-year extension after the season, which makes him hard to move off of in a trade. Therefore, the Raptors are somewhat stuck with Poeltl, and he is the only player who is a true center and would warrant legitimate rotation minutes.

Poeltl struggled a bit during the team's playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he also dealt with back injuries throughout the season. If Poeltl is unable to play at a high level, that will significantly hurt the Raptors' ceiling. In a year where the Eastern Conference has a number of teams looking to make a deep run, this could derail Toronto entirely if it shakes out in the wrong direction. The Raptors need to figure out how to maximize Poeltl in the post, or they need to find a replacement.

3. Will Scottie Barnes Take the All-NBA Leap?

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is introduced prior to the start of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the end of the day, the Raptors will live and die by Scottie Barnes, who is clearly their best player on both ends of the floor. Adding Leonard is a big deal for the Raptors, but Barnes has the trajectory to be their top player for the future, which starts this season.

Leonard and Barnes have the ability to become one of the best forward tandems in the league, but their ceiling will be determined by how much Barnes grows from last season to this one. The preseason has already shown how valuable Barnes is to the Raptors, and that will only continue as the year goes on. If he can be one of the top 10 or 15 players in the league, it could be enough to fuel a long playoff run for the Raptors.

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