The Toronto Raptors have remade their roster extensively over the last few seasons, moving off names like DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas in pursuit of a title. After all of that wheeling and dealing, a Kawhi Leonard-led team finally gave Toronto a championship ring.
Masai Ujiri has really stepped up his efforts to change the shape of this team in order to position them well for the future. The only players that were a member of the inaugural championship team in 2019 that are still on the squad are Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Chris Boucher.
Saying goodbye to role players and stars alike may not be easy considering the contributions that they made to the squad, but sometimes the requisite change of scenery is exactly what these guys need to kick their careers into overdrive.
These 3 former Raptors are having the best individual seasons of their careers. While some might view it as bittersweet that these players aren’t still in town, it’s nice to see players that used to suit up for Toronto having success in what has been a very chaotic season.
3 former Toronto Raptors who are thriving elsewhere.
3. Stanley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
Johnson played with Toronto for two seasons, but his performance on offense left a ton to be desired. The former lottery pick averaged just 3.8 points per game on 38% shooting with the Raptors. It looked like it was going to be very difficult for Johnson to wiggle his way back into the NBA.
Perhaps the only silver lining in the NBA’s COVID-19 replacement player policy is the fact that G League and fringe NBA players are getting chances to show they belong in the pros. Johnson signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he’s had one of the absolute best stints of his career.
Toronto Raptors: Stanley Johnson may have earned a spot with LA.
In five games, three of which have been starts, Johnson is averaging 6.8 points per game on 46% shooting while picking up 1.2 steals per game. Those numbers might be impressive enough for Johnson to earn a contract with a playoff team like the Lakers for the rest of the season.
Johnson has scored more points in Detroit and put together efficient games in New Orleans, but the combination of his quality offensive play and trademark defense is making him a potential bench player in Los Angeles has been a very unusual and promising turn of events.
2. Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs
Poeltl was one of the major pieces that went to San Antonio in the Leonard trade. Despite being picked ninth overall out of Utah, it was clear that Siakam had more offensive potential than the Austrian center. Luckily, he’s found a home with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.
Poeltl has averaged 12.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game with the Spurs this season. He is not just a dunker spot finisher on offense, as he has supplemented that career-best scoring average by emerging as one of the best defensive big men in the Western Conference.
Toronto Raptors: Jakob Poeltl is a legitimate defensive stud.
San Antonio is building towards a future that is centered around Dejounte Murray and Devin Vassell. Poeltl absolutely has to be in their long-term plans, as he has benefitted from the instruction that a mentor like Popovich can provide. He was not going to get this chance in Toronto.
Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol blocked his path to playing time in the short term, and the impending emergence of Siakam limited his long-term potential. The Raptors won a title thanks to the contributions of Leonard, but Poeltl also found a permanent pro destination as a result of that trade.
1. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
DeRozan had some amazing years in Toronto on some Raptors team that had some postseason success, especially that amazing 2016-17 season, but he’s putting up identical numbers in most offensive categories in Chicago.
However, DeRozan may be outperforming his All-Star year a half-decade ago when you look at his shooting percentages.
DeRozan is scoring slightly less (26.8 points per game vs 27.3 in 2016-17), but he has improved his shooting percentage up to 49.5% while dishing out 4.6 assists per game. DeRozan has also been a magician in the clutch, nailing multiple buzzer-beating shots for Billy Donovan’s Bulls.
Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan is a dominant scorer right now.
DeRozan is not putting up empty stats on a bad team with the Bulls, as Chicago currently holds the top seed in the conference despite a COVID-19 outbreak that decimated the roster. If he isn’t an All-Star starter this year, it would be an egregious error.
After teams of putting up elite production in Toronto and getting overshadowed, Chicago’s rapid turnaround has the national media slobbering over DeRozan. As Raptors fans are well aware, DeRozan is one of the most ruthless scorers in the clutch we’ve seen in the last 20 years.