As we count down to the NBA Finals on June 1, many people are already speculating on which teams could feature big in the 2017/18 season.

Whilst we’d expect teams like Boston, Cleveland, Golden State and San Antonio to once again put in some strong performances, it’s clear that the Toronto Raptors could be a good outside bet.

The Canadian side were no match for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers when they were dumped out of the Eastern Conference semi-finals earlier this month. But the Raptors have shown a good fighting spirit that suggests that Dwayne Casey’s team could be ones to watch in the new season.

Although many people have said that it’s time for the head coach to go, it’s clear that Dwane Casey had a massive part to play in helping the side win their first playoff series since 2001.

Because of this, many basketball commentators have stated that Dwayne Casey should stay with the side to help them through their summer preparations.

As the draft gets underway, there have already been plenty of names thrown around for who could join the Raptors. Stars like Rawle Alkins have been linked with a potential move to Toronto, and it’s clear that an ability to perform under pressure is going to be what helps the side progress further.

The team’s president, Masai Ujiri gave a pretty emphatic press conference that things have to change over the summer months in order for the Raptors to build on their current form.

Already there have indications that the team could attempt a new style of play in the next season in accordance to their president’s demands. This could tie in with the fact that Kyle Lowry decided not to renew his contract with the club and so it’s wide-open as to what we can expect from the Raptors.

Regardless of what happens on the court, there’s the sad fact that Toronto Raptors fans in Canada won’t be able to pick up any winnings from their team’s possible future success. The blog at Lucky Nugget Casino shows how betting on single sports games is still out of bounds for Canadians, and so they’ll probably just have to make do with speculating on the future of Serge Ibaka.

The star has been linked with Houston Rockets, and whilst he performed well at centre in some games, it’s clear that the team needs more overall strength than just these star players.

So whilst this season showed promise for the Canadian team, it’s clear that their future is just as hard to predict as a casino game.