What They Won't Tell You About The Toronto Raptors 

Finally someone who tells the truth without bias. They hate toronto because we're not as famous as the Lakers or trash new York knicks

The acquisition of Marc Gasol was on of the clutchest ideas that does not get enough credit. He fit perfectly with Kawhi last year and now, to Pascal

They just beat Philly without Lowry Or Serge while holding Joel to 0 points. This team is crazy underrated, scary depth and elite plays by Pascal helped the Raps comeback late! Don’t sleep on them.

No credit to Nick Nurse? Come on man. He's a master conductor out there.

the raptors won the trade even after their trade asset left

Everyone thought the Raptors are done after Kawhi signed with the Clippers, and here they are with a great start, 11-4 record.

Masai’s best move was not trading Lowry to the knicks like 6 years ago, we wouldn’t be here if he did that

Other than Kawhi, Masai's best Raptors acquisition was the Raptors 905. He sold MLSE and raps ownership on the vision of a G-League team and seeing all the success stories now on the Raptors, it's been an integral part of the player development in Toronto (one of the best in the league).

If kawhi didn't poke og in the eye they would have beat clippers

Masai Ujiri is a basketball genius who LOVES Toronto. And we love him back for staying with us and turning down washington

Facts, their depth was proven again against philly

A part of why some of these picks became pure gold is because Toronto has one of the best if not the best developmental programs in the league. They can make all-stars out of picks other front offices would have passed off in drafts. Imagine what they can do with a first pick.

Sometimes I prefer to have the Raptors go under the radar and have passionate RU-vidrs and analysts talk about the Raptors. It's better than the sensationalist MSM sports casters who create echo chambers for fan boys and no analysis. I could be a Raptors fan and know nothing about why they play so well. But channels like this and others help understand the game.

As a Timberwolves fan I want the Raptors to do good, the north must stick together

The truly biggest thing I've noticed with this squad is chemistry. You can tell they all get along and push each other for greatness.

Honestly the ballsiest move Masai made was firing Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey and promoting his assistant who had no NBA head coaching experience in Nick Nurse. And they did that on a one-year Kawhi rental. If anybody knows the stats on first year NBA head coaches winning a championship, please let me know.

Whoever has Patrick McCaw wins. Sign him long term. Even if he is hurt half the season.

#1 thing they won’t tell you about the Raptors is that they got Che

wow this raps team is even more scarier than last year..

Answer: Serge Ibaka. Toronto has no business being part of the Pacers/Magic trade and somehow ended up with Ibaka by just sticking their nose in it, all for the price of Terrance Ross. Talk about a steal.

Personally, I honestly think that when Masai Ujiri traded a terrible Greivis Vásquez for Norman Powell + a 2017 1st Rounder was one of the most key trades that he did that is responsible for pushing the Raptors over the hump during that Bucks series during the ECF. Considering that a lot of the Raptors players were cold during that series (particularly FVV) I thought that Norman Powell was the ECFMVP of that series and was one of the very few roleplayers that stepped up and exceeded their role. Not only that OG is a key young piece to our current roster and can't be overlooked as well.

Smart drafting, good scouting of G-League/undrafted players, and scooping up decent veterans in FA may not be as sexy as some fans make tanking out to be, but it can still reap similar results if you have a competent Front Office. Both the Raptors and Heat have gotten off to really good starts this year when people thought that they should tank. Tanking will likely always have a place in the NBA but it shouldn't be viewed by fans as the only way to get out of that middle zone of being "too bad to make the Finals but too good to get a high draft pick". There are other options.

The scary part is that they will still have 90+ Million in Cap Space after this season.

fred vanfleet was a good pickup hes one of the main reasons the raptors one the title that man was blasting threes in the playoffs

Don't forget we still got the key to the ring with Patrick McCaw

But also the American media always sleeps on us Canadians. We don’t care we thrive off of the American ignorance. Let’s us fly under the radar.

When you look at masai and who he gets everyone says Pascal and vanvleet but if you think about his biggest pickups are guys like Terence Davis and RHJ, the guys who make the bench the guys who give the raptors that championship depth!

Everyone in the US media thought the Raptors are like Cavs and the Warriors. When Lebron and Durant left, they will be trash and irrelevant. Nope. Nope and nope. What they won't tell you is that these Raptors isn't and wasn't all about Kawhi. They've got pieces built on defense and shared offense plus the rise of Siakam, Vanvleet, OG with reliable vets in Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol.

Masai’s best move is clearly snatching Spicy P at the 27th spot in the draft.

I want to say Pascal Siakam because that would be the obvious one. But stealing OG Anunoby was the best acquisition after Kawhi. I think OG can be a Star in this League! Like Victor Oladipo before him he was the lone star on a bad Indiana Hoosiers team. Then he tore his acl I even remember in that draft the nuggets traded back because they thought they could get OG later. Turns out the Raptors beat them to it. They should have picked him sooner. OG is gonna be a great two way player in this game some day on the levels of guys like Kawhi, and Paul George. The low side in my opinion would be Andre Iguodala but that is still great seeing where you picked him.

Anyone else remember last year how the Wizards were so desparate they offered a 15% stake of the wizards organisation to try to get him as their GM?

If y’all are scrolling through the comments I hope you have a phenomenal day. Get ya bread and all the crumbs too. Stack and act broke Ladies and Gents 😤🔥🙏🏾

UJIRI WILL BE THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER GM IN HISTORY!!!!!!

The bench Mob Never went away. The raptors would probably be better with Kawhi but they look like the best team in the east at times this season. Don’t know why so many teams Are getting overhyped while the champs are being completely overlooked but I have the east between the Raptors, Bucks and Heat this year. The raptors and heat team morale has been pretty unreal this year. The Bucks are good but their streakiness and lack of adjustments at times is concerning. Wouldn’t be surprised at all if raptors Win the East or even win another title.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is such a refreshing take on the last year's "champion". Ever since Kawhi had left, all the US media talked about is how bad the Raptors would end up in the Eastern conference (Dennis Scott even predicted the Raptors NOT making the playoff?). The only sports analyst that believed in the Raptors is Greg Anthony. In the first 6 games of the early season, Nurse didn't trust his bench until Lowry and Ibaka went out on the same night. But boy, was he ever SHOCKED to see how competitive Rondae, Davis and Boucher can be. These trio provides excellent energy off the bench to swing momentum--as the Lakers had witnessed in the 4th quarter. The best pickup off the season has to be Davis and Rondae who are both versatile defenders. Imagine a defensive line up with Siakam, Rondae, Marc, OG and VanVleet (or Lowry)!

Awesome content people pay for stuff like this.

Wow, great to see Vanvleet blossom like this. Went undrafted, remained solid, won a ring, has acquired playoffs/finals experience, and is now a quality starting caliber Point guard, and I think he is still only 24-25. You love to see it.

Thank you for making a video on my favourite team love you♥️, keep up brother

Forever Raptors fan stuck in upstate NY here and I got to say theres nothing better about a 10 min video than the 4 commercial breaks

Great review, its nice to see someone willing to give a team the credit the deserve. American media has always had their heads up their ass when it comes to the Raps though.

I thought the key acquisition last year wasn’t Kawhi, while he’s deserved that title as an MVP. But for me the key was Marc Gasol. He is a better Jonas V. And an anchor defensively. He was definitely the key to the team

masai is a god, the reason he just won torontonian of the year is because he is so influential to kids not just in toronto but around the world. Masai continues to deliver by selecting these sleeper picks late, or out of the draft completely. My favourite acquisition, and in my opinion played a large role in them being able to win the ring, is the mid-season trade last year for marc gasol. Although many fans thought not too highly of the trade, I knew his defensive expertise and basketball IQ would more than enough contribute to a late playoff run.

Thank you for making this video man it's incredible quality and I cannot believe you have only 20k subs! The raptors are my favorite team but the analysis is great, the US media seems to pretend like we were bad before kawhi got there and were out of nowhere really good but we've been absolutely one of the most consistent teams of the last half decade for sure. It doesn't look like we are going away from that anytime with the absolutely incredible scouting and culture we have built, we give guys chances and develop them the right way by showing them what it takes to win and play hard and if you aren't playing hard you aren't going to get minutes. Also nick nurse's coaching has been great with making great adjustments at the right times as well as last year having the most amount of different starting lineups in the league because constant injuries and kawhi being hurt and then this year we lose Kyle and ibaka for awhile and because of the great development the next man up is ready and knows how they have to play 🇨🇦 also Matt Thomas has potential to be a massive get in my opinion. Wethenorth!

Very well put together video bro. Wow. Thank you

Man you hit everything... not a single “expert” has ever realized these things or gone this deep into breaking it down because it’s not very American to give props to Canada. Subscribed🔥

An EFG% of 99% on wide open jumpers is absolutely insane

Terence Davis, Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are all looking like studs. Their PERs are fantastic and being around a team with the confidence and experience the Raptors have now can only be a good thing for their further development.

Won’t be long until we start seeing an abundance of Terrence Davis II videos. Guy’s an undrafted rookie playing like he’s been around for a while. Wait til he actually learns a few things from the vets. Big respect to the Raps for developing a team while winning at the same time. That’s some big brain shit

Siakam for MIP again!

People forget the raptors went like 18-4 or 17-5 without Kawhi last year.

Great takes Dflow Hoops lovin the deep house vibe very chill.

Great video. So much good bball info on this channel

Man I wish you made more videos. Beast content

Thank you for putting respect on the Raptors the US media need to open up their eyes. You just gained a follower. Good luck

YASS! Great video. Every basketball fan needs to see this !

Respect the video for the North! But don’t expect the US media to pay attention anytime soon lol

Good work on this video. I can really tell that you do your homework! Subbed!!!

Enjoyed this great work

Great video my dude 👌🏼

Had to subscribe amazing video bruvv

great vid!!

You should cover the raptors throughout this season. It is important to educate casual NBA fans about this team. Also, since they are owned by a Canadian sports broadcaster (MLSE), the Raptors won't be nationally televised in America often

Fantastic video!

Great video!

Amazing how this story isn't told more! Much appreciate the video. US media is also quick to conclude that the 2019 title was a lucky anomaly. It was far from the case and if anything, the Raptors were very unlucky to have not won a title before then. Oh well, can always repeat in 2020 : D Whoop whoop!

Damn dude, that was incredibly informative. Thanks!

This video was awesome!!!!

Fantastic work. Easy sub my guy.

124,000 views in 4 days. It's clear the NBA fans love this team. They still don't get enough US tv coverage.

great vid, dropped a sub

I'm glad someone is telling us, thanks!

Appreciate you 💯

Keep it flowin

Dude ur whole system of community speaks and shoutouts is mad cool if I understand it correctly witch I most likely don’t.

Thank u for actually acknowledging what the raps are doing here

Thank you for this video. 🏆 we the champs baby run it back turbo

Awesome video bro Very good assessment on every raptor Imagine if Stanley Johnson wakes up

Eyyy finally some Toronto love. Though gotta say that those midroll ads are a little crazy

VanVleet. It's a close tie with Siakam but Steady Freddy didn't have the benefit of being projected to be even an effective role player like Siakam (who Toronto more or less pulled in more as a second option behind Poeltl at the time with the Raps' two draft picks in 2016). Still, Ujiri watched over the development of this guy from his rookie season with the Raptors 905 to the eventual emergence as a solid point guard who can really dictate the team's pace as needed. Now as a starter, he's putting up RIDICULOUS numbers that can even put him in discussion as an All-Star player. It really shows everyone the value of looking past the draft.

My main fear as a Raptors fan is the Knicks luring away Masai with a huge contract. But then I remember Masai is too smart to go work for someone like Dolan and such a dysfunctional organization. This team has been such a pleasure to watch this year. Definitely need to mention Nick Nurse as a huge reason why this team is still legit. Coach of the year so far.

Interested to see if Van Vleet can make a push for most improved

This is a great video. Raptors deserve more respect from the nba media.

You are so right!! Those guys are killing it. Raptors are playing like they have something to prove.

This year confirms OG has evolved into Kawhi Jr.

Eastern conference winners 2020 Mark my words

You have to say we’ve been the most consistent team for the last 5 years

Thank you for repping my City!!! And 👊🏽

I think this every time I watch them play. They have amazing depth and untapped potential and been super interesting watching them over the years. And unlike most followers I believe that getting rid of Demar Derozan was the best thing they could have done. That being said Kyle Lowry is probably the most valuable player they have. I don't think the man get enough credit. AND LETS NOT FORGET ABOUT NURSE!

This video just made me smile

Thank you for putting respect on the Raptors - in Masai we trust

10/10 on how informative your video is. 6/10 on video quality. My eyes hurt.

Patrick McCaw is like Big Head from the show Sillicon Valley. 😂

I’m kinda sad the raps don’t get a lot of national games. I’m not sure this is true, but LeBron James’s son has more national television games than the raps

The signing of Kawhi was the move the finally broke the dam, but the Raptors had made so many key moves building up to that trade agreement. As much as I loved Dwayne Casey as a coach, he was solely a defensive minded coach which really prevented them from clawing their way back out of holes late in games. Nick Nurse was a great promotion from within their current staff, and he has the ability to direct his players and use the clock efficiently on offensive possessions, and he comes up with better play calls after the timeout to get the shot off. But they were still able to maintain their defensive tenacity and structure even after they overhauled the roster and the playbook. Of their 24 regular season losses for 2018-19, only 9 of them were blowouts of more than 10 points. The playoffs proved that they could finally clear the hurdles, and while it certainly helped their cause that KD was injured, and eventually so was Thompson, they played championship caliber basketball, and won out in 6 games. The have kept the core identity of the team, added key pieces from undrafted players and overlooked free agents, and they are still a force even without Kawhi or Danny Green still in T.O. They're beating great teams in spite of losing Kyle Lowry and Ibaka to early injuries. When people said that the wheels were coming off the Raptors wagon before they even held their first home game, I knew that they were talking sideways out of their asses, because while it was a luxury to have an elite player like Leonard in The North, we knew that this team was still stacked and totally capable of running the Eastern Conference without him. I have every confidence that this team can be champions again.

I think the biggest thing with this Raptors team is the fact that they were always ready to make that finals run. When you get deep in the playoffs and consistently place high in the regular season it’s not by mistake. The pieces have always been there and it’s just now all coming to the light.

Wow, i'm a huge raptors fan and have gotten very used to Raptors content that is mis-guided and incorrect. Not you, amazing video! :)

New sub

U just earned a sub

How do you only have 20k subs wtf ur lit as hell

Also, Nick Nurse might be the best coach in the league right now