The Toronto Raptors are very clearly pumped up about the idea of unleashing a new and improved Yuta Watanabe on the NBA, but an injury sustained in the preseason has made it impossible for him to debut thus far. The Raptors have resorted to the likes of Svi Mykhailiuk to fill the void.
While they did take down the rival Celtics, Toronto has slumped to a 1-3 start, with a home loss to the Chicago Bulls serving as a painful reminder of how even a tremendous fourth-quarter push can come up short. This defense can look impenetrable one quarter and tissue-thin the next, and the lack of shooting is a major problem.
Mykhailiuk was billed as an expert marksman, and he lived up to that moniker with some solid preseason performances. However, the regular season has shown his flaws, as his defensive issues and propensity for turning the ball over with some ill-advised passes have started to show up.
The Raptors need to go back to Watanabe as soon as he is healthy, putting him over Mykhailiuk in the nine-man rotation. His combination of shooting and defense might be a more natural fit for what Toronto wants to do.
The Toronto Raptors should play Yuta Watanabe over Svi Mykhailiuk.
Mykhailiuk is a completely average player in terms of points added on offense and lost on defense per possession. Losing a shooter of his caliber might be a tough pill for the Raptors to swallow, but considering that Watanabe made some real strides as a shooter last season and made 40% of his 3-point shots, that shouldn’t scare them too much.
As a defender, there is no comparison. Watanabe made his mark on the Raptors during their Tampa stint with some tremendous perimeter defense, and he should be able to continue that in this new high-octane scheme. If Mykhailiuk’s 3-point shot abandons him, his value as a player goes right down the drain, while Watanabe is a more well-rounded talent.
Watanabe should return at some point during this week, and his return couldn’t have come a moment sooner, as the Raptors need to add someone to their backcourt mix with a bit of a higher ceiling than Mykhailiuk.
Yuta Watanabe expected to practice Tuesday with projected return late next week, early next. Siakam is practicing with light contact.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) October 23, 2021
Watanabe won’t be a game-changing scorer, nor should he be expected to. However, if they are firm believers in his growth as a shooter and his perimeter defense, they need to give him one of the spots in the rotation while relegating Mykhailiuk to backup duty.
If Yuta worked on his ability to create off the dribble in the offseason, the choice became even clearer.