The Toronto Raptors being anywhere close to the postseason has to be one of the most unlikely stories of the first third of the 2020-21 NBA season, as the Raptors started off the season winning just two of their first 10 games, showing exactly how much this team missed Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in the frontcourt.
Since then, Toronto has pushed themselves right back into the playoff picture. While the presence of Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet gives the Raptors plenty of star power, this is an odd roster given the lack of talent at point guard and center, two areas that Toronto has excelled at over the years.
Lowry and VanVleet share the floor for heavy minutes, and the demotion of Malachi Flynn has opened up a hole in the backcourt. Aron Baynes plays basketball like his hands are made out of cinderblocks, making him a poor finisher around the rim. Nick Nurse might be forced to tinker with the depth chart if things keep going downhill.
The Raptors depth chart needs to be altered if they are to remain in the championship hunt. It won’t be easy to axe some of these underperforming players, but it’s a necessity.
Ideal Toronto Raptors depth chart
- PG: Kyle Lowry
- SG: Fred VanVleet, Terence Davis
- SF: Norman Powell, Yuta Watanabe, DeAndre Bembry
- PF: OG Anunoby, Stanley Johnson
- C: Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher, Aron Baynes
Last 6 games for Pascal Siakam:
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 11, 2021
24.7 points
50% from the field
43% from 3
86% from the line
Toronto is 5-1 in those games
Thursday’s loss against the Boston Celtics illustrated just how bad Baynes has been this season on the offensive side of the glass. While putting Siakam at center and giving Chris Boucher even more burn might cause their rebounding to suffer a tad, but the stronger Baynes was doing little to reverse their fortunes, and his poor rebounding was coupled with minimal offensive production.
Moving Siakam to the 5 and putting Anunoby at the power forward spot might seem controversial, but there some logic behind it. With Siakam playing in the most and shooting fewer jump shots of late, this lineup would allow Nurse to keep utilizing Siakam’s offensive gifts in the low post.
OG Anunoby could change how the Raptors line up on both sides of the ball
Anunoby, meanwhile, would be a matchup nightmare if he plays at power forward. Given his ability to rise up and shoot from deep, opposing bigs could find it tough to really defend against him. On defense, his bulk and quick feet allow him to stand both on the perimeter and in the paint with an equal amount of skill.
Norman Powell will stay at the 3, as his shooting has been too hot to douse by sticking on the bench. While Lowry and VanVleet need some better deputies at point guard, the likes of Terence Davis and Paul Watson on the bench mean that these two have to play alongside one another.
If Nurse sticks with this configuration instead of just crossing his fingers and hoping that Baynes turns it around, he might need to do some tinkering to make Toronto a true championship contender.