A Q&A with Daniel Reynolds of SB Nation’s Raptors site Raptors HQ.

What needs to happen for this to be an enjoyable season for Raptors fans?

The suddenly humdrum mantra: 50-plus wins and a run to the second round of the playoffs, at least, would be a delightful outcome. And if one (or two, or three, etc.) of the younger players on the team break out, all the better.

Toronto Raptors / Projected Starters
Position	Starters	Bench
Guards	Kyle Lowry	Delon Wright Fred VanVleet
Wings	DeMar DeRozan	C.J. Miles Norman Powell KJ McDaniels O.G. Anunoby Bruno Caboclo
Bigs	Serge Ibaka Jonas Valanciunas	Pascal Siakam Jakob Poeltl Lucas Nogueira

What makes Raptors fans most excited about this year? What makes Raptors fans most nervous?

The potential for Norman Powell (or possibly Delon Wright, or even Jakob Poeltl) to do something special this year has got us all a bit turned up.

That said, any injury to Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, or — gasp — Jonas Valanciunas is nerve-racking to think about. The Raps are a bit thin this year.

Gut Check

Survey data collected from site writers and editors. The wider the graph the more optimism and trust the fans have in their team! The grey line indicates the average of all sites' collected data.

7.7

Out of 10

How good will your team be this year

6.2

Out of 10

Are they on the rise or on the decline

6.8

Out of 10

Are fans happy with the team’s direction or angry

7.7

Out of 10

Are they trying to win now or build for the future

What storyline might a national audience be missing about the Raptors?

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continue to be very, very good at basketball. (Yes, they are two very's worth of good!)

Why should neutrals pay attention to the Raptors this year?

Neutrals would be wise to watch how the Raptors have constructed both a veteran and young team — without a rising transcendent talent like a Giannis Antetokunmpo or the Sixers’ theoretical squad — that continues to be competitive over a long season. The Raptors may not be flashy, but they continue to plug away.

What's your prediction for the season?

52-30, third seed, a sad loss again to the Cavaliers in the second round.