5 – Center
- Jonas Valanciunas – There’s lots of sound and fury about moving him out of town, but so far it signifies nothing. JV is still a Raptor, and that’s all right by me.
- Jakob Poeltl – Is he really the center in waiting? I’d feel better about the idea if I knew what he’s particularly strong at. Jakob isn’t a stretch-5, he’s an OK rebounder, he picks and passes but so does everyone else. I like Jakob, but I have difficulty seeing him as a major contributor on a contending team for this season.
- Lucas Nogueira – What I wrote about Norman P. goes for this guy. The alarm is loud in your ear, Bebe. Make your presence felt at training camp, with strong defense and a growing offensive game. You can move JV out of Toronto.

Conclusion: The center-pieces are here. How they will look for Game One in the fall remains an open question, but there’s no need to look outside the organization for help.