Toronto Raptors: did brains trust give up too soon on McKinnie, Adel?
By Brian Boake
The Toronto Raptors may find themselves short of quality swingmen soon. Injuries and questionable decisions may cause problems.
In a what seemed a head-scratching move this summer, the Toronto Raptors waived swingman Alfonzo McKinnie. He had been signed to a contract less than two weeks prior.
The day after McKinnie was let go, July 18, the Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The clean-up on the Raptors salary table, which created the need for McKinnie’s waiving, suddenly made sense.
Alfonzo had bounced between the big team and the Raptors 905 G League squad. In his Toronto auditions, he didn’t look out of place.
To McKinnie’s credit, he didn’t hang his head after being dumped. Instead he found his way to the Golden State Warriors, whose championship lineup he cracked this season. Much to the surprise and delight of Warriors fans, the undrafted McKinnie has made 12 of 20 3-balls. On a team, and in a league, which places so much emphasis on shooting, he’s fit right in so far.
Lorenzo Brown has taken McKinnie’s roster spot on the Raptors, and played a fair amount during the absences of Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright. He didn’t show me anything extraordinary, or even ordinary. That applies to the disappointing Malachi Richardson as well.
I started this post before the news broke of the extended absence of Norman Powell. He is gone 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury (bet on 6 – shoulders can be difficult). Adding to the fun, we learned C.J. Miles is sidelined with bursitis in his hip. We’re down two swingmen for who knows how long, and neither Brown nor Richardson is capable of plugging the hole.
Here’s a kid with upside
The final roster selection of Raptors training camp was long, lean Chris Boucher. This was a shock to me, as I believed then (and still do) that Toronto was in sound shape in the front court. Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka, or vice versa, have outplayed their counterparts at center in almost every Raptors victory. Greg Monroe would be a lot higher than third on most teams’ depth charts. Yet the choice was Boucher.
The only consolation here is the knowledge that Deng Adel, whom I would have signed to the two-way deal afforded Boucher, is still in the Raptors system. He’s a member of the 905, and contributed 17 points in their first game of the season, a win over Delaware last Saturday. (Full disclosure: Boucher had 33.)
Jordan Loyd is the other possessor of a two-way contract. He’s a swingman, though without the upside I saw glimpses of with Deng.
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
The G League’s bizarre scheduling couldn’t be more evident. The 905 played last night in Westchester (outside New York City), tonight at home in Mississauga, and Sunday in suburban Chicago. Here’s hoping Adel can cope with the herky-jerky nature of the minors, and continues to progress in his young career. He’s certainly going to get playing time with the 905, which is preferable to being a cheerleader for the Raptors.
The big team’s roster can withstand the sidelining of Powell and Miles for a short while. But if Kawhi Leonard gets nicked up again, or something bad happens to OG Anunoby, the reverberations could be severe. At that time, we may miss not having the capable McKinnie or easy access to Adel.