The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat both made headline-grabbing moves this offseason, but if the bracket breaks a certain way, neither side may be eager to see the other in the playoffs.
Toronto brought back Kawhi Leonard. Miami landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. And while those additions give both teams a much sharper edge, they also create a specific problem: this is the kind of matchup that can turn ugly in a hurry for both clubs.
For Miami, the appeal of Antetokounmpo is obvious. The 2020 Defensive Player of the Year gives the Heat a fearsome defensive backbone next to Bam Adebayo, and when he’s healthy, he remains one of the league’s most difficult scorers to contain. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019 last season, the Heat are expecting that move to push them back toward contention.
But one team that could make life miserable for them is Toronto. The Raptors have the size and defensive versatility to at least mirror Miami’s length, and they also have a proven star scorer in Leonard, even if his recent availability has been shaky. That was enough for CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn to say on the Third Apron podcast that Miami should want to steer clear of Toronto for as long as possible.
“Toronto is the team that I would be terrified to play if I were the Heat because that’s the team with the frontline that’s best equipped to defend them,” Quinn said. “The Knicks, the Celtics, the Pacers, the Sixers, those other teams in the East maybe don’t pose the same matchup questions. So, if I’m Miami, the big thing … is how can we create a bracket where we avoid the Raptors as long as possible and maybe somebody else takes them out for us?”
That fear cuts both ways. Toronto, for its part, would have reasons to dread a healthy Heat team as well.
The Raptors still have plenty of offensive issues, and 3-point shooting is a major one, especially among the frontcourt pieces. That kind of spacing problem plays right into Miami’s hands. Antetokounmpo and Adebayo can both crowd the paint, and trying to finish at the rim against two of the league’s best shot-blockers is a bad bet.
There’s also the question of whether Toronto can handle Miami’s size on the other end. Jakob Poeltl’s ability to hold up matters, and if he can’t, Darko Rajakovic may have to lean on 6’7” Collin Murray-Boyles.
So while both teams made moves aimed at chasing something bigger, the matchup itself may be the thing they’d rather dodge. If everyone is healthy, there’s plenty in this series that could go sideways for either side.
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The bet now is whether Shead can grow beyond what he already is and become a more dependable scoring threat. His defensive rsum is already decorated, with consecutive AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, but the Raptors long-term return will likely hinge on how much he can add as a shooter and creator. [Read more 🡒]