Raptors: Grading every player after first half of 2020-21 season
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have mercifully made it to the All-Star break at 17-19, overcoming a season with no home games, a 2-8 start, and the league’s health and safety protocols getting in the way for Nick Nurse’s team.
The Raptors went from competing for Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley to fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. While some Raptors have impressed, like record-setting scorer Fred VanVleet, not everyone has been so consistent.
Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell both started off very slow, OG Anunoby has missed time due to injury, and whomevr has manned the center position has struggled to play well with any sort of regularity.
It’s report card time, and it’s time to see which Raptors have passed their tests with flying colors and which unfortunately ended up with a big red X and a “see me” note.
Grading every Toronto Raptors player so far in 2020-21
Big Men
Pascal Siakam
Siakam started off the season in horrid fashion, as his shooting stroke was all out of whack. From January 29 against Sacramento to February 23 versus Philadelphia, Siakam averaged 23.3 points, 7.1 boards, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field and 36% from 3-point land.
Siakam’s 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists are the highest totals of his career, and he is shooting the exact same percentage he finished with during his All-Star season last year. He has overcome his slow start, and he’s producing now, but he falls short of an A- because of some misses in the clutch late in games.
Grade: B+
Chris Boucher
Boucher could easily be the Raptors’ Defensive Player of the first half and Sixth Man of the first half, as he has averaged 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, asserting himself as a two-way stud.
Boucher’s shooting has been the most impressive part of his game, as he has is shooting 53% from the field and 44.5% from 3-point range. Boucher has made the two-year contract he signed in the offseason look like a massive bargain, as he is the one compotent offensive member of the Raptors bench.
Grade: A
Aron Baynes
Need I go on? Baynes has already been singled out as the player all raptors fans love to beat up on, but his performance is just such a far cry from what Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. Baynes has been incredibly hard to watch on the offensive end, and his play is the main reason the Raptors are interested in making trades at the deadline.
Grade: C-
Stanley Johnson
Johnson started off the season as a potential ace off of the bench given his defense and distribution, but his offensive production has fallen off of a cliff. Johnson is managing just 2.9 points per game on 39% shooting, a sign that his offensive troubles are still problematic.
Grade: C