After an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign, the Toronto Raptors are hoping for a better one in the next season. The franchise recorded its second losing season since 2012-13. With a relatively quiet offseason, will they make their 3rd losing season in the upcoming edition? Things certainly don’t look good. The preseason is set to start soon and the Raptors were hit with a blow by an injury to Bruce Brown.

According to senior NBA insider Chris Haynes, the guard underwent an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his right knee. Brown has been suffering from a knee injury since the end of last season. Now, the surgery will keep him out for a considerable amount of time. Haynes noted on X that the Raptors said Brown “will be re-evaluated in three weeks.” This likely means they can confirm the return timeline only after this. Generally, an arthroscopic surgery takes around six weeks to heal completely, but if the procedure is done on the tissues, time can be prolonged.

Bruce Brown’s acquisition was part of the Pascal Siakam trade earlier this year. With the surgery, Brown will miss the preseason games, with the first one on October 5 against the Washington Wizards. On October 22, the Raptors will start their season against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Keeping the evaluation period and rehab in mind, the 28-year-old will possibly miss that game and potentially be unavailable right up until mid-November. Brown could’ve improved his role-player act this season, but the injury now keeps him out of contention for that. This further depleted Darko Rajakovic’s selection pool, so let’s take a look at how the Raptors set up next season.

Toronto Raptors’ potential lineup without Bruce Brown

With the Toronto Raptors training camp resuming by the end of September, the players will get ample time to prepare for the upcoming season. Head coach Rajakovic might implement some new strategies that could work as a charm for the team.

As per ESPN, the possible names in the starting lineup include Immanuel Quickley in the point guard position, with Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett switching between shooting guard and forward positions. The Raptors’ 2021 draft pick, Scottie Barnes, could be their choice for the power forward position, while Ochai Agbaji could come off the bench. The 7-footer Jakob Poeltl might be their key player operating from the center of the court.

Raptors fans can expect to witness some actions from their new asset, Davion Mitchell and Draft pick Ja’Kobe Walter, when his call comes from the defensive end. In Brown’s absence, the 20-year-old might get some extra minutes on the hardwood.

The new season is quite special for the Raptors as they will celebrate their 30th anniversary. So they would certainly want their on-court performance to be impressive, unlike last season. Hopefully, their preseason games could give a trailer of how their season might eventually play out.