Toronto Raptors Mailbag: Best questions from start of season

The season has started, and the Toronto Raptors are off to the best start in franchise history. We decided to take your best questions in this week’s Raptors Mailbag.

The Toronto Raptors have played eight games so far. Eight games isn’t a lot, but it is enough to make a couple of definitive judgments.

With what we know so far, I gathered the best questions from Facebook/Twitter and gave my thoughts:

NBA Player Scout writes: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen under Nick Nurse?

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The Raptors are playing at a slower pace, running more isolations, and shooting fewer threes (compared to the rest of the league), than they did under Dwane Casey. Many of the changes we expected to see, we haven’t thus far.

The most significant change has to be moving Serge Ibaka to a full-time center. The change has revitalized Ibaka and changed the way we need to evaluate him moving forward.

Nurse also empowered Pascal Siakam, and as a result, Siakam has been on an absolute tear this season.

Nice writes: Most experts think the Raptors are one player away from a championship calibre team. Which player (that is potentially available) would put them over the top?

I don’t believe Toronto needs anyone to be a championship caliber team. They’re securely in the second tier of NBA teams, behind only the Golden State Warriors. I’m not sure any “potentially available” player brings them up to the Warriors level, which is an all-time great team.

As far as potentially available players who could help the Raptors, I’d look to possibly pick around the Washington Wizards firesale. Bradley Beal is likely too expensive, but Otto Porter might be available if Toronto is interested. His contract is hefty, but he can play. Think of a suped-up OG Anunoby.

Paul writes: Toronto declined (Malachi) Richardson’s option without ever giving him a chance. Why?

I believe the team made the right decision to decline Richardson’s option. Richardson has done little in his NBA career to justify more than a minimum contract. I don’t see that changing this season.

Toronto gave him very few chances on the court, but Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri saw his game consistently in practice. We are operating under far less information than those two, and I believe Ujiri has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Lisa Helene writes: I know OG has personal issues. It’s his business, but I am starting to worry. When should we expect him back?

I have no idea what is going on in OG’s life, and I wish him the best. As corny as it sounds, everyone deals with death in their own way.

As far as his role with the team, I’d encourage him to stay away until he is absolutely ready. If that hasn’t happened by February, maybe you start to worry about his availability the rest of the season.

Next. Creating the Raptors All-Time Roster. dark

Ed writes: Raps were going to be good, but how so quick?

I wasn’t as big of a believer in the idea that Toronto needed time to get synced up. Kawhi is able to play a similar role to DeMar DeRozan, and although Nick Nurse is a new head coach, bringing in a coach from your own staff is the smoothest transition possible.

Teams like Boston, who needed to work in two high usage players like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, were always going to take more time than Toronto.

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