Toronto Raptors 2022-23 season preview: PG Dalano Banton

The Toronto Raptors added a handful of new young players via the draft and free agency this season, showing their organizational commitment to building from within via development. That philosophy helped Dalano Banton get some quality NBA time despite his second-round pick status.

Banton, a Rexdale native who became the first Canadian player to be drafted by the Raptors, managed to beat out first-round pick Malachi Flynn for rotation time in the early stages of the season. While he hit the rookie wall and was sent down to Raptors 905, he bounced back towards the end of the season.

While Banton is technically on a non-guaranteed contract, it is widely expected that he and Justin Champagnie will take up two of Toronto’s final three roster spots amid all of the training camp buzz. Banton and Flynn will be locked in a battle for the backup point guard job early in the season.

The Raptors clearly have a type and are willing to commit a ton of resources to players who can help Masai Ujrii fulfill his positionless vision. 2022-23 will be a very important year as Banton tries to prove he is a worthwhile member of Toronto’s long-term plan.

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Raptors 2022-23 season preview: Will Dalano Banton break out?

Stats: 3.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 41% FG, 25% 3PT

Banton has had some solid performances in the offseason, as both his performance with the Canadian national team and his domination during his time with the Raptors’ Summer League squad have instilled renewed hope in Toronto that Banton is starting to turn a corner offensively.

Banton was a standout shooter and scorer with Raptors 905, but the gap between that league and the NBA is as cavernous as ever. Banton could be in that dreaded “too good for the G League, not good enough for the NBA” grey area if he doesn’t improve relatively quickly.

Positives

Even as a rookie, Banton profiled as someone who will be a very pesky defender in the NBA. His energy stood out, as a 6-9 guard running around with reckless abandon helped confuse opposing defenses and land Banton some easy attempts at the rim. Both of those traits will help him perform well in his second season.

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Negatives

Banton barely made over 40% of his shots and struggled from 3-point range. While this was to be expected after what he showed off at Nebraska, it also proved that he has quite a long way to go before he can be a trusted rotation player. Even if he improves his shooting, the lack of on-ball creation will be something Toronto must work around.

Expectations

The Raptors shouldn’t necessarily expect Banton to come right in and immediately dominate, but it would be a disappointment if he ends up with basically the same stats as last year. Considering how Flynn is still very much on rocky footing, Banton might be viewed as the primary challenger for the backup point guard role.