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After a little more than a week into the 2015-16 season, only two teams remain undefeated: The defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors' pole position is most likely expected, but the Raptors did not even win 50 games last season. However, this Raptors team is driven and determined to improve on last season's disappointing first-round playoff exit.
"First, we've got to get back to the playoffs," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Nothing is given there. Our goal is to move beyond, but again, I'm going to emphasize this: The playoffs are not a given. Nobody's going to walk in and earn a playoff berth just because you did it last year. We've got to earn it. We've got to prove ourselves after how we finished last year that we're for real. Everybody in the East has gotten better. There's more balance in the East this year so there's no nights off at all this year."
Raptors starting shooting guard and former All-Star DeMar DeRozan added to Casey's expectations.
"Our biggest expectation that I always tell the team is we want to be better later in the season than we are at the beginning," DeRozan said. "You don't want to be the same team Game 81 that you are in Game 3. It's just about getting better. You've got to understand it's a marathon."
Along with entering the season with a winning attitude, the Raptors' team chemistry also appears to be at an all-time high. Some Raptors players have recently pointed out why the team is playing so well together.
"This year we're playing as a team," said starting center Jonas Valanciunas. "We're sharing the ball."
Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry elaborated on Valanciunas' point, saying: "We are getting a lot more comfortable with each other, feeling out where we are going to be and the spots on the floor where we need to be at."
The statistics further reflect the Raptors' overall comfort when it comes to playing together as a team, as they are averaging 106.8 points, fifth-best offense in the NBA. The Raptors shoot a terrific 39.5 percent on 3-pointers, fourth-highest in the league.
In addition to getting open and scoring, the Raptors have also excelled at rebounding. The Raptors have a rebounding differential of 8.5, meaning they average 8.5 more rebounds than their opponents. Also, the team averages 49 rebounds, sixth in the league. Valanciunas, who is averaging just over 10 rebounds, placed a big emphasis on dominating the boards when asked about his role.
"That's our job," Valanciunas said. "Defense doesn't end with a shot. You've got to end it with a rebound. To do your full job, you've got to get a rebound, and that's what we do."
Finally, the Raptors have also proven to be effective on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, the last remaining undefeated team in the East only allows 95 points per game. That is the sixth-fewest in the league. The team's defensive production thus far can largely be attributed to offseason acquisitions of DeMarre Carroll and Luis Scola.
"He's as close to a two-way player as you can get at the 3 position," Casey said. "With that, DeMar DeRozan doesn't have to guard the bigger 3s and Terrence Ross doesn't have to guard those guys. So it frees them up to guard guys at their position."
Scola contributes to the defense in a different way. He takes on the role of the team's vocal leader.
"Scola is great. He's a smart player," Valanciunas said. "He's covering all the empty space by talking, showing where to go. It's good to have him on the floor, because he tells you what to do."
The Raptors (5-0) will play eight of their next 10 games on the road and look to add to their win streak this Friday night when they take on the Orlando Magic.
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