Although the Toronto Raptors aren’t the dominant force they’ve been in recent years – they’re only a few pieces away and getting a center should be their biggest priority.
The Toronto Raptors are in a weird spot. They currently sit at a 3-8 record and are mulling around the bottom of the standings. At the same time, they’ve been right there to the very end in their last few games and are a few bounces away from sitting at .500.
Saying that the Toronto Raptors are still nowhere close to being competitive in an ever-strengthening Eastern Conference. There are a few tweaks Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster need to make to this roster to become a contender. The biggest of those has to be to add some competence and skill to the center position.
Aron Baynes and Alex Len have been immediate regrets as free agent signings for the Toronto Raptors. Nick Nurse is at the point where he puts one of them in the starting lineup for 5 minutes than neither of them see any floor time again.
Chris Boucher is forming into a star before our very eyes. Although he is a great shooter and rim protector – he can not be counted on to defend against some of the powerful and physical all-star centers in the NBA. Unless he can put on some Giannis gains, he’ll never be that guy for the Toronto Raptors.
Masai Ujiri is one of the best executives in the league and you know he already is working a plan. Center has to be the big fish he is hoping to land, let’s take a peek at some options.
Cody Zeller
Cody Zeller isn’t the most exciting player in the league, but he is a Swiss Army Knife type who can get it done from anywhere on the floor.
Zeller is a smart player who also can play the physical game. He holds some skill around the post and is fairly mobile for a center. He runs the floor hard and can catch defences sleeping on his abilities time after time.
Master of the pick-and-roll, Zeller would be a great help to the Toronto Raptors guards.
Cody Zeller isn’t going to give you 20 points a game or be counted on for a triple-double a night, but he is a solid center who will increase the efficiency of any offence.
Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes would bring skill to a Toronto Raptors center position that is severely lacking anything of the sort while being a great defensive player – sounds like a perfect fit.
Holmes is a tough and athletic big man who can operate around the post with efficacy. On the other end of the floor, he is a quick and agile defender who has great timing when it comes to contesting or blocking shots.
Holmes athleticism lets him run the court like a guard and is a good ball-handler for a center of his stature. Great footwork and dribbling skills.
A great passer Holmes is not and he has some areas of his game that he continues to develop but can continue to work on. His three-point range has shown flashes of brilliance but is fairly inconsistent and cannot be counted on night in and night out.
You can count on Holmes on both ends of the floor and he would add a great scoring punch as well as consistent defensive effort from the center position for your Toronto Raptors. He is someone who could go up against the big guys at the position and let Chris Boucher focus on his offence and rim protection.
Andre Drummond
Toronto Raptors fans have held an interest in Andre Drummond‘s services for several years now, this season more than ever.
The Rebound King is a guy you can count on for a double-double every night in the rebounds and points column.
Although Drummond does most of his work around the paint, he can space the floor and would create more open shots for the Raptors shooters. Averaging 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks during his career – Drummond can get it done on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Drummond would be the man to go against the all-stars of the center position and create mismatches against any player that can’t compete with his size and strength.
He may be a bit limited offensively (although efficient at hitting open jumpers), but it doesn’t matter – he brings exactly what the Toronto Raptors need.
What should the Raptors do with the Center position?
All of the aforementioned players are impending UFAs but don’t expect any of them to last long on the open market if they hit it.
The Toronto Raptors are not far away from being a competitive team in the Eastern Conference. Why waste a year of your young players’ primes when these (potentially) available names can put you right back in the playoff mix.
It really comes down to what Masai sees as the best chance to win, be that this year or sometime soon down the road. One thing he won’t do though is sitting around while a team mulls in mediocracy.