News ArticlePublishedJul 04, 2026 at 02:45 PM EDTupdatedJul 04, 2026 at 02:46 PM EDTUnderdog NBA teams don't suddenly become good by accident. The offseason is where the edges get sanded, reshaped and sometimes sharpened into something unfamiliar. It's trades that don't make headlines, players learning they're allowed to want more and coaching staffs finally feeling out what actually worked instead of what was supposed to.A breakout usually starts slowly. A rotation clicks in July scrimmages. A second-year guard stops asking permission. A defense tightens because nobody's arguing about last year's mistakes. By October, the league calls it a surprise. Inside the building, it feels more like something that finally stopped being held back.Now, the Toronto Raptors are being called one of those