Toronto Raptors Roundtable: Biggest questions before the Milwaukee Bucks series
What bench players should be part of the rotation to start the series?
Jordan Skuse:
Whichever players still remember how to play basketball…but seriously, Toronto’s bench has been downright brutal in these playoffs, apart from a few decent performances. VanVleet is going to play regardless, as will Ibaka. Norm will most likely see some run as well, but personally, I’d like to see what Patrick McCaw could do with some more minutes on his plate. I doubt we see much of the other guys.
Mike Bossetti:
I believe you have to go with Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and Serge Ibaka. There isn’t really anyone you can trust on the bench right now, but those three have at least a shot of coming through in a big moment.
Milwaukee should be a slightly easier matchup for all three, but who knows what we’ll see. It’s very possible Powell gets cut from the rotation, and it’s only seven when the games matter the most.
Go Paolo:
Raptors fans will shed tears of relief when OG Anunoby finally returns. He will be a critical bench player and should take most of Norm Powell’s minutes. I wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit of Patrick McCaw in there too despite his inexperience. He is a relatively big player and Toronto needs all the size they can get.
Vimal Sivakumar:
Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell, and Patrick McCaw.
With Ibaka, he showed us in Game 5 that he could still be an effective player on both ends, despite his struggles in this series as a whole. In addition, it would be unwise to play a one-center rotation, and he is simply a better option than Eric Moreland.
Norman Powell is a young, quick, and explosive guard who has been a significant plus for this team at times during the regular season.
Lastly, I have McCaw over VanVleet here because his size and speed advantages will be a key asset for Toronto defensively against Milwaukee’s size. On the offensive side, it is possible to hide McCaw if the Raptors surround him with the right four players at all times.