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Toronto Raptors sign Canadian Cory Joseph

By Kevin Nimmock

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After big-ticket free agent LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the San Antonio Spurs, the Spurs were forced to rescind their qualifying offer to Canadian point guard Cory Joseph. The Toronto Raptors wasted no time acquiring Joseph with a generous four-year, $30 million contract, which includes a player option for the final year.

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While Joseph’s signing is meaningful from a patriotic standpoint, his importance for the team over the next few years should go far beyond where he was born. In March, GM Masai Ujiri promised to get at least one Canadian on his roster as soon as possible. The good news is that Joseph could very well be the right Canadian.

So far this summer, Ujiri has acquired four new players, all of whom have a defensive focus. Last year, the Raps were strong offensively, but struggled to turn opposing teams away. They were 19th in points allowed, partly due to too many offensive-minded players logging big minutes. This proved to be a deeper problem than the more shallow reasoning that bad defensive players make a bad defensive team.

Head coach Dwane Casey is a defence-first coach who must have a roster that fits his desire for hard-nose defence. Last season, he showed that he does not know how to coach an offensively focused team. This isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world. He has had success in the past with less talented teams that play hard on the defensive end. He is best at strategizing for teams that keep scores low, restricting their opponents’ advances.

Joseph will help the Raptors become a team that Casey can coach once again. With him, the Raptors get a solid backup point guard with a lot of residual upside. He is still only 23-years-old, though he has played in the best NBA system for four years. He has learned to approach the game intelligently, covering well on defence and offering a balanced approach offensively.

Joseph averaged 6.8 points, 2.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds last season, appearing in 18.3 minutes per game. He will have a more prominent role with the Raptors than he ever has before. This should be empowering for Joseph, as he gets to play in front of his hometown fans.

At the start, he will just need to bring stifling defence. He can grow into a more dynamic offensively player. Though Joseph’s contract is certainly worth more than he is right now, there is a good chance he could develop into a steal for roughly $7.5 million a year. He is obviously not as talented as Lou Williams, who he is somewhat replacing, but he fits the team’s system so much better.

Overall, Joseph will be a key part of the group of new players that are going to make the Raptors tougher, stronger and harder working on the defensive end. The next challenge for Ujiri will be trading for a quality power forward.

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