Toronto Raptors: Possible lineups for the 2019-20 season
Closers:
- Kyle Lowry
- Fred VanVleet
- OG Anunoby
- Pascal Siakam
- Marc Gasol
When the stakes were highest in last season’s NBA finals, it was Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet in the backcourt for the Raptors. At the end of close games this year, it will be those two running the show once again.
Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam also played many meaningful minutes together in last year’s playoffs and thrived.
Trying to replace Kawhi Leonard is another story. OG Anunoby is probably the best option right now, but he will need to earn it.
No one expects anyone on the Raptors roster to fully replace Leonard, but Anunoby should do his best to try to replicate what Leonard did well.
The most important thing, Anunoby needs to guard the opposing team’s best or second-best perimeter player in late-game situations.
At the end of games last year, the Raptors could go on stretches where they utterly shut down opposing teams, keeping them scoreless for long periods of time. During last year’s playoffs, of the teams that advanced past the first round, the Raptors’ fourth-quarter defensive rating was the best in the league.
They accomplished this by playing together, communicating, and defending without fouling. If Anunoby can continue developing as a smart and hardworking defender, he’ll slide into this lineup and be successful – he has the physical skills to do it.
The one other important thing he Anunoby do is punish teams if they leave him open late in games. He doesn’t need to become an elite three-point shooter right away, but he will need to make his open shots.
If Anunoby doesn’t develop into a factor on the offensive end, his spot could go to someone else.