Toronto Raptors: analyzing the defensive rebuild

By Kevin Nimmock | Jul 10, 2015

Free agent frenzy is now done for the Toronto Raptors and GM Masai Ujiri. As promised, Ujiri drastically changed his roster by acquiring four players to fill various gaps. In all, the Raps added a point guard, a small forward, a power forward and a centre through free agency. The goal for this summer has been clear: make the Raptors a stronger defensive team.

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It would be hard to argue that the Raptors will be worse this season on defence than they were last year, when they had the league’s 25th best defensive rating. The team was often a step late on rotations, looking sluggish or confused. A lot of the problems could be attributed to the fact that several offensive specialists occupied major roles on the team, taking minutes away from the stronger defenders.

Now that Lou Williams, Amir Johnson and Greivis Vasquez are out, and Cory Joseph, DeMarre Carroll, Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo are in, the Raptors should be far stronger on defence. With the exception of Scola, the new additions are defensive specialists, who have made careers off playing hard on the defensive end and making a difference for their team without scoring many points.

This team will be a lot better in many ways. Biyombo is a straight up rim protector, who can swat away shots with his ridiculous 7-6 wingspan. He will also grab some rebounds and just simply give the second unit some energy in relief of Jonas Valanciunas.

Scola is technically solid on defence, though his athleticism is pretty minimal at 35-years old. Still, he will play hard and he will make a lot of smart decisions. He will be a meaningful player for the Raps off the bench, offering a balanced and calm approach to basketball.

Joseph is strong enough (183 pounds) and tall enough (6-3) to cover shooting guards and point guards effectively. And, he learned to play a gritty, aggresive brand of basketball in San Antonio. He should be ready for a significant promotion in terms of minutes and accountability. As Kyle Lowry’s backup, he will be expected to follow Lowry’s example and act as a leader for the second unit.

Finally, Carroll will have to face big expectations, but he should be able to rise above. He will be expected to inspire the whole team to play harder on the defensive end. He is a vocal leader who plays an emotional brand of basketball. He likes to be a pest for opposing teams. At best, Carroll has the potential to devellop into an NBA All-Defensive Team pick in the future.

It is clear that Ujiri has built a team that will get scored on far less. Still, one must wonder whether the Raptors will be able to score enough, especially after losing the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. In time, we will get to see how Carroll’s offensive game transfers to head coach Dwane Casey’s game plan. He will need to at least be a moderately effective scorer for this team to have a chance to win consistently.

Look for more analysis on how the Raptors will approach the offensive end soon.

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