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A baby step, yes. A nice evolutionary step, also yes.
The Raptors achieved a measure of success Friday that is not the most significant thing in the big picture but nice nonetheless for a franchise that has gone three seasons without a discernible triumph.
A 140-110 win over the Washington Wizards, coupled with Cleveland's 120-109 defeat of Indiana, assures the Raptors will advance to the quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup in the third year of the event's history.
Who they play on either Dec. 9 or Dec. 10, or whether that game is in Toronto or on the road, won't be known until the round-robin portion of the tournament winds up next Friday.
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But the Raptors, now 3-0 in the first round before finishing with a game against the Pacers on Wednesday, are the first team to qualify for the knockout round. And after going meekly in each of the first two tournaments, it's a significant step for the franchise.
"The more competitive games we have, I think, is better for everybody," coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game. "I always try to prepare our guys to play every game with a lot of seriousness, but especially those cup games to understand that every point matters, that every situation is important for us to compete for 48 minutes."
The Raptors trounced the 1-14 Wizards in every aspect from the opening tip. Toronto once again had five players score in double figures, including RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram with 24 and Scottie Barnes and Sandro Mamukelashvili with 23. The Raptors eclipsed 30 assists as a team again and shot better than 50 per cent from the field for the fifth straight game to set establish a franchise record.
It was the team's 10th win in its last 11 games and the sixth straight victory, a feat last accomplished by a Raptors team in February, 2022.
Toronto's early-season success has opened many eyes around the league and getting into the knockout portion of the NBA Cup will get them in the centre of the league's publicity churn. The notoriety might validate the feelings of fans but it won't matter to the players.
"We don't care about people," said in the days leading up to the game. "We don't care about what nobody thinks. Honestly, right now, you see with our team, our culture, we just are happy for each other.
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"We know that at the end of the day, when we do what we're supposed to do, all that stuff will come. When we do what we're supposed to do, and win together, then we get the whole country of Canada behind us. That's what's important to us."
Sticking around
Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela was in his usual seat to the right of Rajakovic on Friday and he'll be there for the foreseeable future.
According to NBA sources, Mahlalela withdrew his name from consideration to be the head coach of the WNBA's New York Liberty earlier this week. The Liberty will hire Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco.
Mahlalela, who has won NBA titles as an assistant coach with Toronto and Golden State, was torn between a chance at a head coaching job and his loyalty to the Toronto franchise that first hired him in 2013.
The 45-year-old, born in Swaziland and raised in Toronto, came back to the Raptors from working with the Warriors to join Rajakovic's staff in 2023.
Guard that line
The Raptors are among the NBA leaders in opposing three-point shooting efficiency, holding opponents to under 33 per cent shooting beyond the line.
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They stifled the Wizards on Friday -- Washington was an atrocious 5-for-23 from the arc in the first half -- and Rajakovic said it's not necessarily Toronto's defensive focus.
"In 15 games, it's not enough sample size to look at that," the coach said before the game. "Once you get to 30 games, then you really see some tendencies there, more or less how they shape up.
"Teams are not shooting great (and) I also think we're doing a pretty good job of contesting those shots. Still the priority for us is guarding the paint and getting better at guarding the paint."