The Toronto Raptors‘ lack of bench depth bordered on the absurd last season. Nick Nurse was forced to use players like Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam in the second unit as point guards to get some semblance of scoring punch from that group. This can’t be the way things operate in 2022-23.
The Raptors don’t have tons of cap room to operate with, and they need to figure out how they are going to retain either Thad Young or Chris Boucher, but that shouldn’t stop Masai Ujiri from trying to find a point guard who can be an immediate contributor in Toronto.
No team in the league scored fewer points off the bench than Toronto last year, and the stagnation of Malachi Flynn is a huge reason as to why. A new backup could be in the cards, and Ujiri will have his pick of half a dozen quality candidates to choose from.
Toronto needs to come out swinging in free agency to get the top players on their wish list. While any backup guard that has proven themselves would be a very welcome relief, these three players (in ascending order of value) would stand out above most of the common rabble.
Should the Toronto Raptors acquire one of these shooting guards?
Good: Aaron Holiday
Holiday is a restricted free agent, meaning that Phoenix will have a leg up over all other teams who want to secure his services. Holiday became a part of the Suns’ rotation despite coming onto a team that already had Chris Paul and Cameron Payne installed as the point guard duo.
After a midseason trade away from Washington, Holiday averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 assists per game. Perhaps most impressively, Holiday connected on 44% of his 3-point attempts. At just 26 years old by the time next season starts, Holiday’s best basketball is ahead of him.
Aaron Holiday could grow with the Toronto Raptors.
Holiday has never been a tremendous scorer, and his 9.5 points per game with Indiana in 2019-20 has yet to be equaled. Luckily, he doesn’t need to be a featured option to carve out a role with Toronto. Holiday is a pesky defender and speedy athlete who will find ways to impact games in ways that go beyond the box score.
With Paul getting long in the teeth, Phoenix will try everything they can to keep him. However, with Deandre Ayton in line for a big deal, some sacrifices may need to be made. Holiday could be one of those cap casualties who comes to Toronto and steps on the gas pedal.
Better: Gary Payton II
Payton was the one that got away for the Raptors, as he was one of their best G League players with Raptors 905 right before the Warriors were able to snatch him away. Playing everywhere from point guard to small forward down in the post, Payton was a very unique chess piece for that team.
Payton averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while connecting on a ridiculous 62% of his shots from the field. We already know how much Nick Nurse loves to fiddle with lineups and throw unique combinations out on the floor, and there aren’t much better in that role than Payton.
Gary Payton II would fill so many holes for the Toronto Raptors.
Payton is not a great shooter right now, as his 36% 3-point percentage could stand to be slightly improved. Payton would go to another master shot doctor in Nurse that is more than willing to let him use his unique physical gifts to fit in on Toronto’s defense.
Very rarely are players who come up through Raptors 905 tossed aside and left to be picked up by other teams before Toronto can maximize the value they bring to the table. Ujiri can correct the mistake of adding Freddie Gillespie over him by robbing him back in 2022.
Best: Tyus Jones
Very rarely is a starting-caliber player able to be had for less than starter money. However, Jones may have earned himself a contract that compensates him well after a breakout year while still allowing Toronto to remain flexible. When Ja Morant was injured, Jones kept the Grizzlies rolling.
Jones averaged a career-best 8.7 points and 4.4 assists per game in what because a solid year for Memphis, but the best individual feather in his cap was keeping the Grizzlies white-hot and a competitive No. 2 seed in the Western Conference while Morant was sidelined.
Tyus Jones would be perfect for the Toronto Raptors.
Jones’ pesky defense is reminiscent of VanVleet (albeit a tier or two less effective), and it should help Toronto get more consistency and quality out of that second unit. The Raptors might need to let either Boucher or Young leave to meet Jones’ financial obligations, but that is a risk they might need to take.
We have more than a half-decade of evidence that shows Jones can be an effective deputy point guard on a team challenging for a postseason spot. With a higher volume of 3-point shots, Jones’ scoring could hit double-digits for the first time in his career with the Raptors.