The Toronto Raptors are back in the postseason after one year in the lottery, as Masai Ujiri helped construct a winner from the ashes of the team that got burnt to a crisp in their temporary Tampa abode. Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet have this team playing red-hot basketball at the moment.
Ujiri didn’t have a playoff-caliber roster when he started the shortened offseason. He lacked interior depth, had no players older than 30, and needed some extra shooting. Most of the team who finished 12th in the Eastern Conference was going to make the trip to Toronto.
The Raptors started the offseason off by retaining Gary Trent Jr. on a three-year deal, and things only got better from there. Ujiri and Bobby Webster have developed a reputation for finding diamonds in the rough, and the dynamic duo was able to work their magic once again in 2021.
Thanks to Ujiri and Webster nailing it in the offseason, the Raptors have been able to smash even the most optimistic expectations. VanVleet and Pascal Siakam deserve the lion’s share of the credit, but these three moves have paid dividends.
3 moves Masai Ujiri made that boosted the 2021-22 Toronto Raptors
3. Trading Goran Dragic for Thad Young
Dragic finally got to fulfill his “higher ambitions”, which involves becoming a backup on a Nets team that is locked into the play-in. In exchange for sending Dragic’s contract and the No. 20 overall pick to San Antonio, Toronto was able to acquire Young and bring back a second-round pick.
Young is averaging 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while becoming a solid 3-point shooter and efficient finisher. On top of his box score stats, Young has been an invaluable presence on a young team full of players that have a similar style of play to Young.
Thad Young has been a perfect veteran presence for the Toronto Raptors.
When Dragic left the team, Khem Birch became the most senior member of the team. Having Young, who has been consistently productive over his 15-year career, is a great steadying asset for this team. How many times has he sparked a run by playing alongside the starters?
Just a handful of games into his Raptors career, Young has already been trusted to close out games. While Dragic was collecting dust in Miami, Ujrii had the insight to acquire a clubhouse leader while recouping a very high second-round pick. Not a bad bit of business.
2. Insisting on Precious Achiuwa in Kyle Lowry talks
When the Raptors sent Kyle Lowry to the Heat, Toronto was insistent on procuring one of Miami’s top young assets. While Achiuwa was struggling to get much of anything done on offense in the first few weeks of the season, his second-half surge has been a treat to watch.
Achiuwa is nailing just above 40% of his 3-point attempts while shooting nearly four per game since the All-Star break. With his rebounding chops still present and his already impressive on-ball defense getting more refined, Achiuwa has been Toronto’s best bench player this season.
Precious Achiuwa keeps getting better for the Toronto Raptors.
The lack of frontcourt depth murdered any chance of the Raptors making the postseason last year. Need I bring up Alex Len and Aron Baynes? Just when it looked like Achiuwa was headed down that path once again, he turned things around after appearing in the Rising Stars game.
Adding a shooter might have helped the Raptors, but Achiuwa has helped swing the outcomes of games in the second half. Assuming that he comes into his third season with some extra refinement that sees his turnovers reduced, Achiuwa should take that next step.
1. Drafting Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs
When it happened, the initial reaction was shock. After listening to weeks of consistent Jalen Suggs propaganda, Raptors fans were initially caught off guard when Ujiri took Barnes and allowed the Gonzaga star to fall to Orlando. One year into their careers, it looks like Barnes is a much better choice.
Barnes is the first rookie since Luka Doncic to average over 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game. Barnes has started every game for which he has been healthy, proving that the talent he houses was too lethal to be confined to a simple bench role during his rookie year.
Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes is outperforming Jalen Suggs.
Barnes might be third in the eyes of the NBA Rookie Ladder, but anyone who has taken the time to closely examine Raptors games this year can see that he is the best first-year player in the league. Meanwhile, Suggs has shot just 36% from the field and 21% from 3-point range in Orlando while struggling with injuries.
While Suggs will likely have a fine career with the Magic once he’s more developed and healthier next year, Barnes was clearly the right choice for Toronto. Ujiri’s scouting eye and propensity for unconventionality in the draft helped Barnes find a home in Canada.