The Raptors have to play games and they have to figure out how to win games because perhaps better than any other team in the NBA, they know how quickly a COVID outbreak can send a season swirling down the drain.
It was less than 10 months ago when a roster ravaged by positive tests and missing key players saw the 2020-21 season shot behind the ear and avoiding that same predicament is first and foremost in their minds.
It will not be easy — there are several key players still to clear NBA protocols and a handful of emergency fill-ins will have play substantial roles — but the stakes are substantial and coach Nick Nurse knows it.