The Toronto Raptors are just one game away from officially wrapping up their Summer League grind. With star youngsters like Christian Koloko and Dalano Banton on full display on the Las Vegas circuit, many had Toronto’s games circled on their July calendar.
Toronto has had mixed results in their first three games, to say the least. After dominating the 76ers and getting dominated by a motivated Bulls team, the Raptors got back on the right track with an 80-74 victory against the Utah Jazz. 2-1 isn’t the worst mark.
The back end of Toronto’s roster will likely play a significant role in their ability to sustain their success from last year. Even amid all of this unevenness, there have been some genuine standouts who could end up becoming impact players that get some NBA minutes this year.
The Raptors should internalize these three takeaways now that most of the Summer League action has concluded. Toronto needs to take these lessons and integrate them into their larger developmental plan as they return to being a contending team.
3 Toronto Raptors takeaways after Summer League action
3. Christian Koloko is talented, but raw offensively
So far, Koloko has been everything we thought he would be. When he comes in the game, he makes opposing ball-handlers think twice about driving to the lane and can rebound the ball reasonably well. Unfortunately, Koloko appears to be an extensive work in progress offensively.
Koloko went just 8-26 from the field despite a good chunk of his shots coming in close to the rim. Even though he connected on a few jump shots, Koloko is in the Precious Achiuwa camp because he went into the NBA without great touch around the rim. He needs to pick that up in Toronto.
Toronto Raptors rookie Christian Koloko needs to work on his offense.
At the very least, Toronto can take solace in the fact that Koloko is blocking shots and causing turnovers. He was billed as a rim-protecting monster, and he’s doing a very good job of ensuring he can flex his muscles in this area of strength.
Koloko likely fell to the second round because teams were nervous about the time it would take to get him working at an NBA level offensively. With the patience needed to sit back and watch him grow, Toronto is the spot for Koloko to gradually improve his skill around the basket.
2. Jeff Dowtin needs a two-way deal
Even though Dowtin has not officially been signed to an NBA deal by the Raptors, he was given starting minutes in Summer League play over David Johnson. Through the first handful of games, Dowtin looks like he is, without question, ready for a small helping of NBA minutes.
Dowtin averaged 16 points per game while making just around 60% of his shots. The quickness he displayed was genuinely showstopping at times. If the Raptors don’t bring him on with a two-way deal, another franchise will snatch him away from Toronto in two seconds.
Jeff Dowtin has impressed the Toronto Raptors.
Dowtin’s most likely competition will be Johnson, a former second-round pick who barely played last year. Dowtin has been more impressive as a scorer thanks to his efficiency while holding his own on defense. In the Chicago game, Johnson was getting cooked on that end.
Dowtin won’t be a game-changer for the Raptors, but there is no such thing as too much point guard depth in the modern NBA. The jitterbug guard could prove the Warriors and Magic wrong for not giving him a second chance with their clubs.
1. The fight for the final roster spots will be competitive
Even though Summer League has shown that Toronto has plenty of impressive young prospects on their roster at the moment, they will only be able to take two or three of them into the regular season due to all of their guaranteed contracts. Securing those final spots will be a dogfight.
Even though DJ Wilson’s multi-year non-guaranteed deal and Justin Champagnie’s quality play last year could make it seem like they have a leg up in this race, they shouldn’t feel totally secure in their spots just yet.
With Banton struggling with turnovers amid his scoring and Armoni Brooks still inconsistent, that battle has yet to resolve.
The Toronto Raptors have competition for roster spots.
Dowtin has been a very nice player in Summer League, but will Toronto decide to get rid of him in favor of one of their draft picks in Johnson? Could they use that second two-way spot on an external player and further reduce these players’ chances of making it in the pros?
While this may sound like a very impactful and difficult decision to make, Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri have to be pleased with how the summer is playing out. It’s better to have multiple qualified players battling for one spot than scraping the bottom of the barrel for warm bodies that can fill out the roster.