The Toronto Raptors aren't going to be any great shakes this year, but they'll surely be better than the depressing Chicago Bulls, right? In Episode 1720, Sean Woodley is joined by basketball internet writing legend Kelly Dwyer to talk about the Raptors' place among the East's bottom feeders, why this season has a chance to be pretty joyful, being better the Bulls, Vince Carter getting his number retired by the Raptors and Nets and Scottie Barnes before playing a round of the revamped 'I Remember That Game!' Off the top, they get into why the Raptors are gonna be both better and less sad than a Bulls team that has no shot, before getting into the Raptors building towards something interesting as Scottie Barnes matures. Next, we get the outside opinion on the Raptors retiring Vince Carter's jersey, and the Nets doing it as well, before some more Scottie talk as he looks to become the next Raptors superstar. Lastly, Sean tests Kelly's knowledge of the mid-2000s Raptors and Bulls with a round of the newly revamped 'I Remember That Game!'.

Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/x9uGJ2Hy

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Show Theme Music: Keep Fallin' / The Passion HiFi on SoundCloud

The Toronto Raptors are making defensive improvement a focus of this season, but do they have the ingredients on hand to put together a good NBA defense? In Episode 1719, Sean Woodley goes solo to take a look at the defensive building blocks the Raptors have on hand, the schemes they can run to optimize their strength and mitigate their weaknesses, and the role internal developement and ratcheted up effort will play in the Raptors' attempt to build a passable defense this season. Off the top, Sean dives into why Jakob Poeltl gives the Raptors a strong baseline for a competent defense, and how guys like Scottie Barnes and Davion Mitchell bring some much neede defensive talent to the table. Next, Sean digs into the statisical profiles of last year's Top-10 defensive teams to try and identify what makes a great defense. Apart from talent and size, having "A Thing" to hang your hat on seems to be a solid way to make your defensive metrics pop. Lastly, Sean takes a look at the role internal development for guys like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley will play in the Raptors attempt to improve upon last year's 27th-ranked defense, and why buy-in and effort -- something Darko Rajakovic already has some history of getting out of his team -- are huge parts of the equation as well.

Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/x9uGJ2Hy

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Show Theme Music: Keep Fallin' / The Passion HiFi on SoundCloud

The Toronto Raptors probably aren't going to be a very good team in 2024-25, but they absolutely have the capacity to be a Fun Bad team. In Episode 1718, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl (Basketball Feelings) link up to talk about the almost unprecedented circumstances Toronto Raptors fans finding themselves facing this season, as they team for the first time since arguably the late-90s comes into the year expected to be bad, but with plenty of hope for what lies ahead in the years to come. Sean and Katie chat about the freedom of lowered expectations, and the joy of feeling like you're in on the ground floor with a group of guys who should mostly be around the team for the long haul. Next, they discuss what they thing makes a team either Fun Bad or Sad Bad, and try to figure out where this year's Raptors slot in on that continuum. The threat of a nasty late season tank is there, but for the most part, this has the makings of the fun kind of losing team. Lastly, Sean and Katie talk about some of the things they're hoping to derive joy from this season, including the newly announced purple throwback jerseys, nostalgia, youthful exuberance and more!

Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/e6xSvW8m

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Show Theme Music: Keep Fallin' / The Passion HiFi on SoundCloud