Andrea Bargnani is expected to step up and become the focal point of the Raptors offense.

Now while many have debated whether or not he is truly ready for this role, the reality remains that we have no other players to assume that role until DeMar DeRozan proves he is ready for prime time.

Andrea has always been a very gifted offensive player albeit his life was made easier by the presence of an All-Star in the frontcourt with him who would sometimes draw extra coverage.

Many question whether or not Bargnani has the demeanor to be a #1 option as he seems very reserved and introverted.  I will bet my last dollar that Bargnani does indeed have the demeanor to be a #1 its just that we have not yet seen in for two reasons: He shies away from leadership roles despite his ability to lead and two, the obvious….., that was Chris Bosh’s supposed role previously. As a seeming introvert Bargnani becomes more open once you get to know him something we as fans will likely never get to do and thus we are not in a position to trulyu gauge his ability to lead when forced into that role.

If Bargnani can get over 8 rebounds per game this season, this season has to be considered a stellar success regardless of his point totals or the Raptors win-loss totals. Andrea has 21 ppg upside this season but we see 18-19 as a more likely figure for the Raptors 7 footer.

There is a reason Bargnani is still a Raptor and that is because Colangelo always knew from the time LBJ, Wade and Bosh signed their contracts that a scenario like Miami was possible, and Andrea has been our Bosh replacement in waiting.

The Raptors are likely headed for the lottery this season but they will be a much more exciting and ‘stomachable’ team to watch this season with a new emphasis on athleticism and defense which should get Raptors fans up in their seats multiple times a game.

Love him or loathe him Andrea Bargnani is here to stay and will have games this season that will make a lot of naysayers jump on the bandwagon.

Others like DeRozan, Kleiza and Barbosa may have games where they lead the team in scoring, Sonny Weems figures to have a few too, but when all is said and done the fact remains: Andrea Bargnani is our new franchise player.

It’s time to give him a chance and welcome him with open arms.

Raju Byfield is a Senior Sports Writer for Raptors Digest.

Raju Byfield also writes for Win My Fantasy League as a Senior Sports Writer/Fantasy Sports Analyst.