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Week 1 post-mortem

Raptors fans came into game one of the 2017-18 season bubbling with excitement. Their excitement was rewarded as they turned in a dominant defensive performance, holding Golden State to just 73 points to Toronto's 89. Unfortunately, they had to play games 2,3, and 4. Game 2 was a crushing OT defeat to the surprisingly dominant Jonas Valanciunas and the Orlando Magic. Game 3 was a tight 4 point loss to the Hawks. And game 4 was a disappointing effort against the Hornets, where the Raptors led for the first two and a half quarters, but relinquished the lead and never got it back.

So, after the first week of the season, Raptors fans were feeling much like they felt at the end of last season. Though at the end of last season, they had the prospect of a high draft pick keep them excited. Now, there isn't anything like a high draft pick to look forward to (at least not until the end of this season) but, for the optimistic and possibly deluded fan, there are some reasons for excitement:

1. Toronto hasn't yet been able to benefit from the services of Rajon Rondo. He's not the superstar that he may have been at one point in his career, but he still should be an upgrade from their current situation. Currently, they are without a second point guard, though they could activate one of their two-ways, both of whom are point guards. But there's no promise that either of them will be a better option than what they've got at the moment.

2. Bradley Beal has established himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league and, when the GM manages to find the best strategy for him, he should be even better than he's been thus far.

3. Last season, Kris Dunn had a 36% field goal percentage, and 26% three point percentage. While it's a small sample size, Dunn shot 52% and 60% from three in the first four games. Fans can't get too excited yet, but it is encouraging.

4. Willy Hernangomez is averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. With him getting the start this week, we'll get to see whether he's ready to take the reins as a full-time starter.

So, fret not Raptors fans. All is not lost, yet. Keep your heads up stay optimistic. At least until week 5.

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