Something every Toronto Raptors player can work on this offseason
By Jeff Borsuk
Dewan Hernandez
With the second to last pick in the 2019 NBA Entry Draft, the Raptors selected Dewan Hernandez out of the University of Miami. The scouting report on Hernandez is that as a 6’10” center, he is active in the paint and has the ability to outrebound his opponents. His excellent vertical plays a helpful role in this.
Hernandez has also demonstrated himself to be a competent and fleet of foot defender. This has helped him when out at the perimeter. Unfortunately, when closer to the cup, Hernandez struggles with timing on help defence. He will need to work on this through the summer and into next season.
With the ball, passing has been a real problem for Hernandez. If he wants to find himself playing in the NBA, it will take dedicated work to improve in this area. Otherwise, Hernandez remains too predictable offensively. There is a good chance that he will have time to develop his game playing with the 905.
Biggest area to work on: Passing
Malcolm Miller
Malcolm Miller is a serviceable player who the Raptors hope can develop into a regular member of the rotation. Thanks to a shoulder injury, Miller was limited to playing only 13 games last season in the G-League and 10 more in the NBA.
There were hopes that Miller would take steps on his development, especially in his three-point efficiency. Unfortunately, there was some regression in that area with Raptors 905. That could be attributed to having missed so much time. Luckily, when called up, he shot the lights out.
This coming season, if he makes the roster, it will likely be at the end of the bench. Already, a decent defender, Miller brings value to the team as a spot-up shooter. He is a 3-and-D player who requires others to get him open looks. Miller should be looking to add depth to his game and work on his handles. He could be far more valuable if he can create his own shot.