Raptors will have battle for starting center position
By Brian Boake
The Raptors are in need of fresh thinking about their roster. Yet without a trade we need to make better use of the incumbents. Here’s what to do about the center spot.
The Toronto Raptors are rethinking everything and everyone. If you accept my premise of Monday, namely, that OG Anunoby should be pencilled in as the starting power forward next season, it follows the team will need to make use of Serge Ibaka in some other fashion.
We can further assume Serge will be greatly reluctant to surrender his starter’s role. Then his choice becomes stark: compete for the center spot, or accept the bench.
Jonas Valanciunas has been on the trading block for the past few off-seasons, but he’s still with us. I thought he enjoyed his most complete season as a Raptor. His defense looked better than it ever has. Jonas’ net rating was 5.8, by far a career best. He racked up 26 double-doubles, his second-best ever, despite playing the fewest minutes…yes, even back to his rookie year.
He’s not going away. On a value for money basis, JV scores high.
I don’t know whether Jakob Poeltl is ready to be a starter. He’s the youngest of the three, and still the most raw. Yet, Jakob advanced by giant steps in his second season, and we haven’t seen his ceiling yet.
Serge, it won’t be so bad
Serge might enjoy being on the second unit more than he thinks. He won’t be covering the likes of Rudy Gobert or Andre Drummond. He can still hit from deep, and should be able to get more shots off against weaker defenders. Whether Serge can provide enough defensive energy at center remains to be seen. He certainly wasn’t carrying his share of the load in the playoffs.
More from Raptors Rapture
- Scottie Barnes talks Raptors expectations after bumpy 2022-23
- Raptors’ Dennis Schroder completes Cinderella story, wins FIBA World Cup with Germany
- 3 players Raptors could replace OG Anunoby with at trade deadline
- NBA insider praises Raptors’ hiring of “star” Darko Rajakovic
- Raptors fans will love Markquis Nowell’s insane confidence on Instagram
Finally, there’s Lucas Noguiera. He’s a restricted free agent I suspect the Raptors have run out of patience with. If another team pops up with an offer sheet Bebe signs, it says here the Raptors won’t match.
The more I think about Serge hoisting up 3-balls as a member of the bench bunch, the more I like it.
A new coach will be in a better position to deliver the message to Serge than would Dwane Casey. “It’s my team now, and this is what I want to try. Don’t be a pain in the dressing room.”
There we have it – JV continues as the starting center, with our other European big man as the backup. Serge can defend the paint and shoot for 20 minutes a night against others’ rotations. That’s not what we wanted from him when he re-signed for big cake last summer. However, he, and we, will need to accept less.