Toronto Raptors basketball is much closer than we think (23 days), and there has yet to be any real talk of a starting lineup yet.
The Toronto Raptors roster is pretty much set in stone — at least we think it is. Apart from at the Center position, the Raptors starting roster is not all different from last year’s. Which is a good sign considering they finished last season as the second seed across the NBA.
Not bad for a team who many expected to be only mediocre with the departure of Kawhi. Now the same might be said again this season, with both of their bigs — Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka — opting to play in Los Angeles. Two players who were very important to the starting lineup at one point or another last season.
However, the Raptors were quick to solve their frontcourt problems, adding Chris Boucher, Aron Baynes, and Alex Len to the roster. They are obviously not on the same spectrum as Gasol and Ibaka were, but they are players that fit the bill perfectly. Low usage players that can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and accept smaller roles.
Speaking of roles. Let’s begin looking at the new starting lineup and roles each player will have in the upcoming season.
Toronto Raptors starting Point Guard – Kyle Lowry
I think the saying “aging like a fine wine” has been used so much when talking about Kyle Lowry, that we should just start saying “Aging like a fine Kyle Lowry.” Okay, maybe not the greatest of ideas. Anyway, Kyle Lowry at 34 (turning 35 during the season), will be the team’s starting point guard.
Kyle Lowry played a huge role in the team’s success last season, and he will be looking to carry that on this season. Following a season averaging 19.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 1.4 steals; I can’t imagine Lowry playing at a lesser level, though I do expect his workload to diminish.
Lowry has shown no signs of slowing down and was by far the team’s best player in the bubble Playoffs. Lowry put his team on his back on multiple occasions in the Celtics series and was the sole reason it went to a Game 7 — don’t forget Lowry made the perfect pass to OG Anunoby when he hit the buzzer-beater. When Lowry wasn’t on the court, the team crumbled.
As great as it was to see Lowry take control of the game as he did, it was discouraging to see key players like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet failing to create anything for themselves. Lowry had carried the load in most of the games but the Raptors were slowly becoming too dependent on him.
Kyle Lowry will be entering his 15th season and his 9th being the Toronto Raptors’ point guard. Despite the heavy mileage, he still plays defense on an All-Defensive level — an award he should’ve been rewarded with last season at least — commands the team’s offense, and is not afraid to take the last shot.
The only sad part talking about this is realizing that this might be Lowry’s last season being the Toronto Raptors starting point guard. A realistic outcome that’ll lead us to drink any sort of aged wine, if it were to occur.
Toronto Raptors starting Shooting Guard – Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet finally got his big payday. Following his best season yet with the Toronto Raptors, VanVleet will be looking to build off that. He has gotten better every season he has played, and if history repeats itself, don’t expect that to come to a halt this season.
VanVleet had career-highs in pretty much every statistical category last season: Points, Assists, Steals, 3-PT percentage, and Free Throw percentage. There was not much he didn’t do well. He was as effective off-ball as he was on-ball and played tremendous defense through it all.
The only stain on his game was his finishing around the rim. He shot 51 percent around the rim last season and it’s been an area he has had difficulty with since entering the NBA — he has never shot higher than 52 percent around the rim in his career — this number should be more towards the 58 percent area at least.
VanVleet will too often go for extremely difficult layups or will straight-up avoid contact when driving — something I talked more in-depth about in the past. Improving around the rim has to be the next improvement in his game so he can be a threat from more than just one area — the three-point line.
As for his role this season, I believe Gasol’s departure means that VanVleet will take up a bigger role controlling the offense. Gasol’s role as a facilitator around the post was an integral part of the Raptors’ offense and without it, the Raptors are going to have to adjust to a new game plan.
This is where I expect the Raptors to lean more heavily on Fred VanVleet. VanVleet will most likely play a bigger part in the halfcourt offense now with Gasol gone.
He may not be the floor general Kyle Lowry is yet. But he is getting there step by step, cheque by cheque.
Toronto Raptors starting Small Forward – OG Anunoby
A player who doesn’t have a bag full of emotions, certainly has it full of potential. OG Anunoby is not only the team’s best defender, but he is also one of the best on-ball defenders in the league.
But defense is far from being his only great ability on the court. His development on offense is slowly starting to show and he has shown glimpses of it in the bubble. There was the introduction of his spin move. A move that worked on several occasions earlier in the bubble, but later became too predictable — the Celtics were prepared for it each and every time OG was driving in their series. His handles also looked much better and it has helped him get to the rim easier, leading to high percentage chances.
With high percentage chances, comes high efficiency. For OG Anunoby, he’s had himself his most efficient year last season. He shot 64 percent around the rim and 38 percent from three. Resulting in an effective field goal rate of 58 percent, albeit on low volume — Anunoby had 8.2 field goal attempts per game.
That’s the next step in Anunoby’s career. With Ibaka gone, someone is going to have to take the shots Ibaka would usually take. OG Anunoby is growing, and Nick Nurse will be looking to add that extra responsibility on Anunoby’s shoulders.
That’s how Anunoby’s role will differ from last season. We will see more of the 32 point performances (OG’s career-high) as the one he had against Denver last season. Anunoby will turn into a serious option on offense now and will serve more than just being a spot-up three-point shooter and cutter.
Don’t be surprised if OG Anunoby reaches into his bag and has his breakout season this year.
Toronto Raptors starting Power Forward – Pascal Siakam
The Toronto Raptors will only go as far as Pascal Siakam takes them in a much tougher Eastern Conference. If Siakam plays at the MVP level he was playing at earlier last season, then there shouldn’t be any concern. But if he plays as he did in the bubble, then clicking the panic button is a reasonable option for Raptors fans who hold high expectations for the team moving forward.
If you watch highlights from Siakam earlier in the year and compare it to Siakam in the bubble, it’s like watching two different players. The MVP level Siakam was a real threat from all over the place. He took his man face up and beat players with his speed, while also shooting the three at an incredible rate (shotting nearly 40 percent from three in the first 27 games last season).
Meanwhile, in the bubble, it felt as if Siakam tried to forge an identity he wasn’t all that familiar with. Posting up on every play and failing to produce anything good for the Raptors. He also completely lost his shooting stroke, which was what made him so dangerous earlier in the season. Siakam just seemed lethargic in his play. It’s as if entering the bubble aged him by 20 years.
We do know that Pascal didn’t have the luxury to train during the quarantine, and that certainly didn’t help his case. But to see him not even being close to a shade of himself was certainly worrying.
In the upcoming season, there is doubt that Siakam will bounce back. He is a player that is all heart that’ll do whatever it takes to be the best. Can he return to the times where he was included in MVP conversations? There is no reason why not, and we shouldn’t expect less. Siakam knows he was bad in the bubble, so expect Siakam to come back hungry.
If he fails to find his form, then the Raptors will struggle mightily in a much stronger Eastern Conference this season.
Toronto Raptors starting Center – Aron Baynes
It’s odd to see a different name here. After being so close to reaching a conference final, many thought Ibaka and Gasol were coming back without a doubt. Fast forward three months, you have Aron Baynes being the team’s new starting Center — at least the player we expect to be the starter.
I made it clear that the Raptors should go after Aron Baynes on separate occasions. He just had himself a career year on the offensive end with the Suns. Baynes shot the three at a 35.1 percent clip last season. It may be under league average, but if he can get that to even 36 percent it’d be great.
On offense, he’ll be best used as a screener and pick-and-pop option. Two things he has done a lot in Phoenix. He’s also a pretty decent roller which can open up the halfcourt offense a bit more — an area they struggled as they finished 15th in halfcourt offense. Although he won’t be offering the elbow playmaking Gasol offered, Baynes will be really effective in what the Raptors need him to do.
On defense, we already know what he has to offer. His blocking stats may not be shiny, but he is an important rim defender. When on the court last season, opposing teams shoot 4 percent less around the rim, per Cleaning The Glass — which ranks him at the 94th percentile among all bigs.
He is one of the few players who can hold his own against a star player like Embiid, and he’s also shown he is capable of handling switches on to smaller guys. Similar to Marc Gasol, but a lesser version. Baynes is also very vocal on defense, which works perfectly with the help defense scheme Nick Nurse works with.
With Aron Baynes, the Raptors get an experienced elite center who can fill in quite nicely on both sides of the floor. It was the perfect signing and I fully expect him to get into friendly arguments with Nick Nurse on what they could’ve done differently on defense.