Ranking the best fits for Raptors backup point guard role
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors find themselves in a bit of a difficult situation thanks to their lack of offseason backcourt additions. The Raptors addressed the lack of great size on the roster, but they didn’t find a backup point guard who can take some of the pressure off Fred VanVleet.
Dalano Banton seized that role last season, but he saw his playing time start to drip away after his offensive game started to show the warts he came into the league with. Malachi Flynn is dominating the pro-am circuit, but will he become a rotation player in his third season?
The Raptors need to make sure that 2021-22, where VanVleet started to erode due to injury and an unfair burden of minutes, doesn’t happen again. Figuring out who will lead the team when their first-time All-Star VanVleet gets a breather is the first real rotation question Nick Nurse needs to answer.
The Raptors need to look at these three players in order to find a solution that fixes the point guard question once and for all. Think of how many extra wins Toronto could pile up if they get bench consistency in an area that was impossible for them to nail down last year.
3 top options for Toronto Raptors’ backup point guard spot.
3. Dalano Banton
Banton was born to play point guard for Nick Nurse, as he is a 6-9 lanky perimeter player with strong defensive intuition and athletic ability. Banton rode that combination to early rotation time, but he quickly fell out of favor thanks to some poor shooting skills.
Banton shot just 41% from the field and 25% from 3-point range last season. While he has been extremely impressive in Summer League play, showing off a jumper that looks more effective than what we’ve seen in the past, he’ll still need to prove it in real NBA minutes.
Dalano Banton needs to prove his skill to the Toronto Raptors.
Banton doesn’t need to be the most high-volume scorer ever, but the Raptors have shown that they are not going to throw him out there if he is an offensive liability. Even making slightly above 30% from deep would be a godsend for the Raptors’ bench.
Banton has quickly become a fan favorite, as the Rexdale product will forever be remembered as the first Canadian player Toronto ever drafted. He could be even more beloved if he works on his shot, but he’s probably the furthest semi-reasonable PG option away from regular playing time.