PHOENIX—There are obvious things the Raptors need to accomplish between now and the start of the NBA playoffs in mid-April, and they have been well documented.
Getting their top eight or nine players back to full health and playing together is absolutely at the top of the list, and having a dozen or so games with a full roster would be the goal. That’s not quite possible yet, with Marc Gasol still on the shelf and Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka still sore.
Having Pascal Siakam able to handle the attention he’s going to get and be comfortable and assertive is key, and the team is confident he can handle the responsibility.