From Deep: Raptors’ science experiment continues in second season of the Scottie Barnes show

If big-budget blockbusters have taught us anything, it is this: Raptors, brought to life by mad scientists conducting futuristic experiments, are to be feared.

But is this true in the NBA? Just how scary is the team that Masai Ujiri’s front office and Nick Nurse’s coaching staff have been putting together in Toronto?

For opponents trying to run their normal offense, the Raptors’ long arms and quick feet can be pretty terrifying. They pressure ballhandlers, leap into passing lanes with hair-on-fire intensity, mixing up coverages to create a sense of confusion along with the chaos. While most teams use defensive schemes designed to limit rotations, Toronto willingly puts itself into scramble mode. It forces turnovers, indecision and uncomfortable shots late in the shot clock.

Preseason projections, however, don’t paint the Raptors as particularly scary. As of Monday, the day that Ujiri said they have to make a jump this season, their Vegas over/under is 45.5 wins. That number suggests that, after going 48-34 and finishing fifth in the East last season — and figuring that clubs like the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be better — Toronto is likely to fall into the play-in.

Perhaps that’s selling their talent short. Last season, Fred VanVleet was an All-Star and Pascal Siakam was named All-NBA. Now everybody’s back, Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes has turned 21 and Otto Porter Jr., fresh off a championship season with the Golden State Warriors, has joined the party.

For Toronto to become more frightening, the formula is straightforward: Improve the halfcourt offense without losing the defense-and-transition dominance that has become its identity. Finding some reliable second-unit lineups would help, too. If those things don’t happen, then avoiding the play-in will be tough. 

All eyes will be on Barnes, a precocious passer and prodigious hugger with unreal upside. The more he’s unleashed as a scorer, the more he’ll be be able to create easy looks for his teammates. If he can thrive as the focal point when surrounded by reserves, then he’ll get more playmaking responsibility with the starters.

Barnes shouldn’t be expected to develop everything all at once in his second season. This is a player, however, who sees himself as a point guard, loves the challenge of defending centers and is built like a big wing, the most valuable archetype there is. In a…