The Toronto Raptors are coming into what will end up being one of the most pivotal seasons in franchise history with a roster that is somehow both nearly identical to last year and full of questions, considering how much the conference around them has changed.
The Raptors brought back their entire rotation from last year, all while leaning on the exploits of Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Fred VanVleet to make sure this team competes for a deep playoff run. That sounds great, but the Raptors won’t have the benefit of a subpar east this time around.
Toronto had to watch names like Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell get added to playoff hopefuls, while the lack of Kevin Durant trade has helped breathe new life into a Nets team who needed a pick-me-up. The Raptors will need to come into the season without any issues as it relates to the rotation.
Toronto has some questions that still need to be answered before the games start counting for real. Preseason will inevitably help things out, but the Raptors need to ensure they have their I’s dotted and T’s crossed by the time the season rolls around.
4 burning questions the Toronto Raptors need to answer.
4. Who is the backup point guard?
Last season, the Raptors shuffled between Dalano Banton, who provides solid defense and poor shooting, and pro-am extraordinaire Malachi Flynn before pulling the plug. Nick Nurse eventually truncated his rotations, using point forwards like Barnes and Siakam behind VanVleet.
Last year, VanVleet’s knees were ground into a fine powder by the end of the season. The Raptors will not have a shot of contending if VanVleet is anything less than the All-Star he showed he could be last year. The seven-man rotations with VanVleet playing 44 minutes only make sense if Nurse wants to lose games.
Who will be the No. 2 point guard for the Toronto Raptors?
Banton and Flynn will likely get first dibs on trying to replace VanVleet, but nothing will be guaranteed to players that had some lowlights last season. If neither of them end up becoming quality reserves, Nick Nurse will not hesitate to put Barnes or Siakam in the game for one second.
Most of the significant additions in the East have been standout guards, which should stress Toronto’s backcourt depth to breaking point. The Raptors can positively spin any number of backup point guards options, but Nick Nurse needs to give fans a definitive answer.
3. How long will Christian Koloko take?
Koloko was taken with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft with the expectation that he would become an impact starter at some point in the future. However, he was also taken with Ujiri and Bobby Webster knowing that most of his rookie year was going to be spent in Mississauga.
Koloko’s Summer League stint didn’t show us anything we didn’t expect. He was utterly dominant on the defensive end, yet there were some rough edges that needed smoothing out on offense. His play in the first few Raptors 905 games will tell us a lot about how far along he is.
Toronto Raptors: Christian Koloko is still raw.
Khem Birch might be the backup center right now, but the Raptors will likely move off him if Koloko starts to show he can handle himself as a backup center behind Siakam. If his post finishing gets slightly better, the Raptors could be intrigued enough by his development to break the glass case and let him star.
If anything, Toronto should be excited about what he can bring as a rim protector. No matter what sorts of twists and turns Koloko takes the Raptors toward in the next few years, that athletic frame is going to be a shot-swatting machine when he’s healthy.
2. What will the bench rotation look like?
The Raptors managed to keep some of their bench standouts when Thad Young and Chris Boucher, but the signing of Otto Porter Jr. away from the champion Warriors proved that Masai Ujiri was not going to come out of this offseason without at least one impact newcomer to add some sizzle.
Assuming that Nurse runs a nine-man rotation, names like Khem Birch and the Banton/Flynn duo could be out of the lineup when everyone is healthy. What will Porter’s role be when he fully assimilates? Is Precious Achiuwa going to get a ton of minutes? How will Young and Boucher be handled?
The Toronto Raptors have a brand new bench.
Toronto’s bench ranked near the bottom of just about every category last year, and going into this season with so many strong additions is a sign that this team is simply not going to accept being that deficient when so many other teams in this conference have prioritized depth.
Finding time for so many promising players in one rotation is the dictionary definition of a good problem to have. Achiuwa’s two-way dominance, Porter’s quality shooting, and the 1-2 veteran punch of Boucher and Young should help Toronto be more competitive down the stretch.
1. What does the season entail for Scottie Barnes?
The Raptors are leaning on Barnes to be one of the select few around whom the Raptors are going to base their attack on both ends of the floor. Their performance will be inexorably tied to how he plays in the next few seasons, as Barnes has been unofficially dubbed the maypole around which the Raptors will gravitate.
It’s hard to find much to complain about from Barnes’ rookie season save for some largely harmless rookie mistakes and some poor shooting that Toronto knew was going to be a problem when they drafted him. He’ll take a step forward this season, but by how much?
The Toronto Raptors are counting on Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors will need Barnes to get his efficiency up, demand the ball more offensively, and cut out the mental miscues on defense. While most teams would be willing to give their prized youngster a ton of leeway in order to accomplish those goals, the Raptors don’t have that luxury with Barnes.
The nature of last year’s 48-win campaign, and the impending big-money extensions that names like VanVleet and Siakam will sign, means that the Raptors need to win now. Toronto is placing a large burden on this 21-year-old’s broad shoulders, but he has the combination of talent and resolve to get the job done.