Toronto Raptors: Reviewing the Raptors off-season so far
By Jason Mills
The year 2020 has been a strange one that everyone cannot wait to have ended. The Toronto Raptors off-season thus far has also been strange and hopefully can be corrected before December 1st or next off-season.
The Toronto Raptors had major decisions to make this off-season, and some of those choices have now been made. Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka were the incumbents at the center position for this team. Both players will now continue their careers in Los Angeles, Ibaka for the Clippers, and Gasol with the Lakers.
Fred VanVleet was expected to get a huge payday, and he did return to the Toronto Raptors, who gave him a break as an undrafted player back in 2016. Fred VanVleet received a four-year 85 million dollar contract making him the Toronto Raptors point guard of the future.
Chris Boucher will also be returning to the Toronto Raptors for potentially another two years after he signed a two year 13.5 million dollar deal. Aron Baynes, a career back up center, was also signed on Sunday by the Toronto Raptors to a two year 14 million dollar deal.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused everyone financial hardships, and it’s still ongoing with no definitive end date. The Toronto Raptors are affected, and this could answer why the decisions that have been made exist.
There are still questions to be answered about what the training camp roster will look like in eight days (December 1st, 2020) to begin preparation for the 2020/21 season, and the hope is that the Raptors are not finished dealing.
Reviewing the Toronto Raptors 2020 Draft day transactions
On draft night, the Toronto Raptors’ management chose to add depth to the team’s guard positions. Malachi Flynn appears to be a good if not great pick up at the draft. The 22-year-old point guard mimics in many ways the play of the two most proficient guards already on the Raptors’ roster in Kyle Lowry and the returning Fred VanVleet.
As the San Diego State team’s floor general, Flynn led them to a 30-2 record this past season. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.1 assists per game and appeared to be a potent shooter averaging 37.3 percent on three-point shots.
Jalen Harris is a shooting guard that the Toronto Raptors were able to select 59th overall in the draft. However, he averaged 21.7 points per game and also shot a good 36.2 percent on long-range shots.
Both of these draft-picks appear to be players that can fit the Raptors’ style of play, but they also need some measure of development. It appeared after Wednesday night’s draft that the Toronto Raptors would dedicate their remaining resources to the frontcourt.
It was obvious they needed the most help in that area. Not only was the entire frontcourt, except Pascal Siakam, listed as free agents, but the Raptors were 21st in the NBA, scoring points in the paint in 2020.