The Toronto Raptors couldn't have dreamed of a better opening night to kick off the new season. They led the entire game against the Chicago Bulls as they cruised to a 43 point victory.
In Kawhi Leonard's first game back, four different Raptors scored at least twenty points, but the most interesting question coming out of opening night has little to do with how dominant Toronto was.
Did the Raptors prove they are a significantly improved team? Or did they benefit from playing a Bulls team that had a less than stellar showing last night?
Toronto's matchup on Friday against the Washington Wizards will be an opportunity to prove that the blowout win was not a fluke.
What Toronto Needs to Show Against Washington
The biggest thing to keep your eye on is whether the Raptors can continue to force turnovers at a high rate. The Bulls turned the ball over 27 times on Wednesday, with the Raptors accumulating 15 steals. These steals led to a lot of easy buckets in transition for Toronto, but a defense cannot become reliant on the other team handing over possesion repeatedly.
Another thing to monitor is the Raptors pace of play. Toronto was able to dominate the pace of the game from the beginning, which again was made possible because of Chicago's turnovers.
However, in games where there aren't as many opportunities in transition, or where Toronto is turning the ball over themselves, the Raptors will need to be able to control the flow of the game with their half-court offense.
One Win is a Starting Point, Not a Verdict
There are plenty of tangible positives from the Raptors' Opening Night win. However, the NBA champion is not declared after one regular season game.
With that being said, Friday's matchup against the Wizards will not settle every debate about this Raptors team either. What Friday's game will do is give Toronto a chance to prove that the strengths that were on display against Chicago are repeatable.
If the Raptors are able to continue getting balanced offensive production from players other than Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, then they will make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference this year.
From the top of the rotation to the guys who filled out the second unit, everything seemed to click on Wednesday. The blowout win in the home opener made a huge statement, and now Toronto needs to continue to back it up.
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