1 advantage the Toronto Raptors have over 3 No. 8 seed contenders
By Mike Luciano
Charlotte Hornets: Interior Depth
The Hornets have one of the best backcourts in the East, as LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Gordon Hayward are all capable of leading a team in scoring. With James Bouknight and Kelly Oubre on the bench, that’s an awful lot of shooting. The height situation, however, leaves something to be desired.
PJ Washington and Miles Bridges are better power forwards than true centers, and Cody Zeller will play in Portland this season. Mason Plumlee is the presumed starter, with a parade of youngsters like Vernon Carey Jr., Nick Richards, and 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones to back him up. Toronto could go to work in the paint.
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The Toronto Raptors could beat up on the Hornets in the post.
In addition to Siakam and Birch in the starting lineup, Boucher could pull those centers out of the paint on defense and start cooking them with his improved shooting. If Achiuwa continues to develop that’s yet another arrow the Raptors have in their quiver against a smaller Toronto team.
When you factor in the fact that Anunoby and Barnes will assuredly get some small-ball center looks, Toronto, for all the talk this offseason about their lack of quality inside, might actually have a better offensive attack than Charlotte in the paint.