After enjoying 11 of their first 16 games played in the friendly confines of Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Raptors will finally see some prolonged time away from home.
Beginning in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Sunday, the Raptors will be away on a three-game West coast road trip for the next few days, with stops in Sacramento to face the Kings and Salt Lake City for an encounter with the Utah Jazz.
The Raptors have shot out to a stunning 13-3 start, but still have their doubters because of their friendly schedule to start the season.
There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the club about whether it’s actually as good as the record indicates, and with reports that DeMar DeRozan is expected to be out for a month with a torn groin tendon that interest has been compounded.
As such, there’s a lot still to learn about the team and this small roadie should help to give us some insight.
Here are five storylines to monitor while you take in the games.
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Who is the next man up?
DeRozan is looking like he’ll be out for a while. A loss that will cost the Raptors their leading scorer and one of the team’s vocal and on-court leaders. These are big shoes to fill, but luckily the Raptors have plenty of options.
One of Lou Williams, Greivis Vasquez, James Johnson or Patrick Patterson could slide into the starting lineup, with Terrence Ross heading over to the two if needed. With that many options at his disposal, Raptors coach Dwane Casey will have a tough decision to make so as not to disrupt the delicate balance of his rotation too much.
Kobe is still Kobe
On Sunday, the Raptors take on a 3-13 Los Angeles Lakers club that plays the worst defence in the league (114 points allowed per 100 possessions). Sounds like a cake walk for the Raptors right? In theory it should be, but, as bad as the Lakers have been, Kobe Bryant has been the same Kobe Bryant. The surefire hall of famer is the league’s leading scorer (26.4 points per game) and even though he is shooting poorly and is shooting far too much, he’s still dangerous and is not to be taken lightly just because his team isn’t any good.
Familiar faces
During the course of this three-game trip out West, Toronto will get to see some old faces. Former Raptors first-round pick Ed Davis is on the Lakers, Once-thought franchise cornerstone Rudy Gay is on the Kings and sharpshooting roleplayer Steve Novak is now a member of the Utah Jazz.
Of the three, the most interesting to see again is Gay, who has meshed well with the Kings, playing at the same level he showed with the Memphis Grizzlies and even signing a three-year extension to stay in Sacramento.
Imagine that, a trade that’s worked out for both sides.
The Boogie man
On the topic of the Kings, it’s impossible to mention them and not discuss DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins. An old-school dominating inside force, Cousins has quickly become one of the game’s elite big men. Right now he ranks as the league’s sixth leading scorer (23.2 points per game) and top rebounder (12.6 rebounds per game), while also ranking among the best passing centres in the association (2.4 assists per game).
In short, he’s a monster. Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes will have their hands full.
Trap game
The final game of the Raptors’ short stint out West is against the Jazz, a team they easily handled the last time they met. However, unlike their first encounter this season, the contest will be in Utah, it is on a second night of a back-to-back and in just two days after the Dinos play the Jazz, they will host LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the new-look Cavaliers at Air Canada Centre. Taken into account all of those factors, does anybody else smell trap game?
