Toronto Raptors roundtable: Offensive, defensive rank and breakout players
Who will be the Raptors breakout player this season?
Gavin Axelrod:
I’ve been an advocate for Pascal Siakam as Toronto’s breakout star since early last year, however, that is too easy of an answer.
I believe Delon Wright will quietly be the Raptors’ breakout sensation of the 2018-2019 campaign. Wright is in a contract year which will give him an extra edge in his play as well as, added motivation. If he can stay healthy expect big things from the 26-year old.
Mark Birdsell:
Picking a potential breakout player for the Raptors is difficult. There are a lot of options.
OG Anunoby was very good as a rookie. He is a strong defender and good three-point shooter. Danny Green was an underrated addition. He is a solid two-way player who will start at shooting guard.
But my choice is Pascal Siakam. Entering his third year, Siakam is ready to take his game to another level. He spent the summer working on his ball handling. If the pre-season is any indication, Nick Nurse wants Siakam to initiate the offense more.
Siakam is capable of grabbing a defensive rebound and then taking the ball coast-to-coast. He has flashed some nice spin moves and a much improved offensive repertoire.
Siakam needs to continue to work on his shooting. This remains the biggest hole in his game. However, if he can become an average long-distance shooter, he will go from an energy big off the bench to a starter.
One of the biggest victories this summer remains that Masai Ujiri did not have to give up Anunoby or Siakam in the Kawhi Leonard trade. Both are set to be key contributors for the Raptors for years to come.
Rizzla:
No one.
Aside from the expected incremental improvements, we will see in everyone’s games this year there will be no true breakout player for the Toronto Raptors. No returning player will see a significant enough increase in minutes to truly be defined as a breakout player.
Things we will see include OG Anunoby being more polished on the offensive end as well as the continued development of Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.
However, no player aside from Kawhi and Kyle Lowry are likely to see or even sniff true starters minutes this season leaving no player with a large enough role to warrant a breakout player tag.