Last year, the Toronto Raptors had a trio of members that received votes for NBA yearly awards. DeMar DeRozan and Fred VanVleet were both given votes for various awards, with DeRozan getting a nomination for MVP and Most Improved Player, while VanVleet was in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
The Raptors’ lone winner was Dwayne Casey, who received 39 first-place votes en route to Coach of the Year. Despite his victory, Casey was ousted after the team once again fell to LeBron James by way of a sweep.
With the departure of both DeRozan and Casey – replaced by Kawhi Leonard and Nick Nurse – the team has once again sat atop the Eastern Conference, with an accomplished 23-9 record.