Toronto Raptors: How Stanley Johnson can earn minutes

Play smart defense

This is as simply put as it can get. Stanley Johnson has to play defense for him to have any chance of seeing the court in non-blowout minutes. It was the main reason why they signed him and it was also surprising to find out it was one of the main reasons he wasn’t getting minutes to start. Nick Nurse called out the new additions for their lack of urgency on the defensive end and most of them were all able to find minutes weeks or days later.

The groin injury that kept him out for weeks was a lingering issue that he dealt with for a while before he was originally ruled out. He wasn’t 100-percent, but he still has a chance to prove that he can defend at the same level during practices. The video of him defending Kawhi Leonard last year is enough evidence that he’s capable of playing great defense against stars in the league.

As a side note, Stanley Johnson is listed at 245lbs which is good for the second-highest weight on the team behind Marc Gasol, he has the strength to guard larger players that the Raptors will surely face within their conference. OG Anunoby is recognized as the primary perimeter defender on the team who would likely guard the best player on opposing teams. It would be useful to have someone who matches him from a physical aspect replace him when he goes to the bench, and the defensive discipline would need to come with it. Especially when he’s averaging a ridiculous 9.4 fouls a game per 36.