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Rick Zamperin: Raptors fans shouldn’t expect much this season

The Toronto Raptors host the Chicago Bulls in their NBA season opener Thursday night. (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the Toronto Raptors ready to tip off their 2017/18 NBA season Thursday night at home versus the Chicago Bulls it is perfectly understandable that fans are eagerly anticipating a great season ahead.

But this might be a year in which the Raps take a step back.  I’m a realist, what can I say?

Barring major injuries to stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, Toronto will definitely make the NBA playoffs this season, but they will play second fiddle in the Atlantic Division to Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics.

And when you add to the mix the talented teams in the Central (Cleveland, Milwaukee) and Southeast divisions (Washington, Miami) the Dinos could find themselves as low as sixth in the Eastern Conference when the post-season rolls around.

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That would pit the Raptors against a tough first round playoff opponent such as Boston or Washington.

Why the not-so-sparkling outlook?

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Beyond what DeRozan and Lowry bring to the table, Toronto will need its supporting cast to take a major leap forward to keep this unit among the NBA’s elite.

That means more production from Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Norm Powell and newcomer C.J. Miles.

We’ve seen Dwane Casey’s crew pile up 50-plus wins in back-to-back seasons, although I think they’ll be hard pressed to get to that plateau this year.

Simply put, Raptors’ fans shouldn’t expect anything more than an appearance in the opening round of the playoffs.

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