Amid disarray in NBA, Raptors betting on controlled chaos

Chaos reigns in the NBA.

Look no further than last season's Finals combatants: the champion Warriors are dealing with fallout from Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice, while the Celtics are helmed by a new head coach after Ime Udoka was suddenly suspended for the year just before training camp.

Given that, plus owner drama in Phoenix, trade-demand drama in Brooklyn and more, the question that will define the coming season may well be: is it possible to reign amidst chaos?

The Toronto Raptors are betting that the answer is yes — if that chaos is controlled.

Compared to the above teams, the Raptors' off-season barely made a peep. When they tip off their season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET), it'll be mostly the same cast of characters.

The starters will likely be Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Except for opening night, those five began every game in which they were all healthy together a year ago.

WATCH | Raptors eliminated by 76ers in Game 6:

Toronto's most impactful off-season addition may be Otto Porter Jr., a former Warrior who should inject some much-needed shooting. Its most notable addition may have been Juancho Hernangomez, who is best known for starring as Bo Cruz in the movie Hustle.

The Raptors spent their lone draft pick, a second rounder, on centre Christian Koloko, who was born in the same Cameroon city as Siakam. Koloko instantly became the team's only seven-footer.

The bench will feature steady veterans Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young alongside a pair of highly talented but mistake-prone centres in Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa.

Those are all the controlled variables — elements that proved they