3 reasons Raptors won Thad Young-Goran Dragic trade with Spurs

2. Raptors got more bench scoring

While the lack of a traditional rim protector or backup point guard is going to make this Raptors roster an unusual bunch when the playoffs come around, the main box the front office needed to check was improving bench scoring. The Young acquisition helps accomplish that goal.

Young might be averaging 6.1 points per game this season for the Spurs, but he’s also averaged 13.5 points per game over the prior 13 seasons. A lethal midrange shooter that can put the ball on the floor and muscle his way into the paint, Young might take Chris Boucher’s title of Sixth Man away from him.

The Toronto Raptors may have added a Sixth Man in Thad Young.

Young fell out of favor in San Antonio due to their youth movement, but he was a solid scorer for the Bulls last season and was a key contributor to several playoff teams in Indiana. The idea that his best days are already behind him might not hold up upon closer inspection.

A more experienced player than Boucher and a more diverse scorer than Precious Achiuwa, Young should be given a healthy dose of minutes right out of the gate. Toronto is dead last in the NBA in bench points per game, so there’s nowhere to go but up. Young will help take them in the right direction.