The Toronto Raptors are finally done with their 2022-23 preseason schedule, and they can bask in the relative glow of a 3-2 record. Toronto beat the rival Celtics twice, both of which required overtime, while dominating the Jazz by 32 points in Edmonton early in the preseason.
While the Raptors certainly have more positives to look back on than negatives, that doesn’t mean the preseason was utterly perfect and without any sort of consternation. Toronto was by no means the most efficient offense in the world, and some starters looked less than dominant.
With the regular season getting kicked off on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto knows they need to hit the ground running if they want to keep up with the rest of the joneses in the very tight Eastern Conference. Nick Nurse will pour over preseason tape for the next few days to further that end.
Now that the Raptors have dusted themselves off following a very taxing series of games, Nurse needs to ensure that these three lessons are firmly embedded in his frontal lobe. From standout bench players to concerning trends, the preseason was quite revealing.
3 lessons the Toronto Raptors learned in the preseason
3. Christian Koloko can play right away
Koloko was drafted with the expectation that the developmental masterminds in Mississauga were going to take their time in getting him ready for the NBA. Based on the first few preseason games, Koloko would not look out of place if he was thrown into the rotation as a rookie.
Koloko made all six of his shots while also grabbing four rebounds against the Celtics, showing that the 7-1 big man is further along on the offensive end than most thought he would be. After blocking another shot and moving well in the paint, Koloko showed signs of being a defensive anchor on the inside.
The Toronto Raptors must use Christian Koloko.
Koloko was not just dunking the ball from a stationary position. He was running the floor with uncommon grace for a big man his size and finishing off post hooks with veterans like Al Horford draped all over him. How in the world did this guy fall to the second round?
The Raptors will not retain DJ Wilson this season, and Koloko’s rapid improvement likely played a considerable role in convincing them that he was expendable. The Raptors will be doing the rotation a disservice if the Arizona product is not involved, especially given all the injuries.
2. The lack of shooting is still a major problem
Toronto has a much better bench than they have had in recent seasons, and the lack of height seems to have been fixed by the addition of Koloko. Even with Otto Porter Jr. coming over from Golden State, his injury has shown just how far Toronto has to go in this area.
While the Raptors managed to come alive from deep in their preseason finale, they went 21-103 (20.8%) from 3-point range in a three-game span, two of which were losses. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. will help mitigate the damage, but they can’t save the rotation by themselves.
The Toronto Raptors have poor shooters on the roster.
With O.G. Anunoby finishing the preseason strong against Boston and Scottie Barnes making some improvements in his game, those two need to start the season very strong if Toronto wants any hope of being a feared offensive team. Both of them looked much more confident offensively in the preseason finale.
The Raptors are going to go nowhere fast in the modern NBA unless they can get some of their starters to perform at a high level once again. Porter is going to be a huge help to the perimeter game as a whole, but losing him should not be so destabilizing for this offense.
1. O.G. Anunoby is ready to dominate
Anunoby didn’t start off hot from 3-point range in the preseason, but multiple Raptors starters also seemed to be mired in some malaise from the perimeter. Not only did O.G. show signs of snapping out of that funk, but he was absolutely blitzing an unsuspecting Boston defense during the finale.
Anunoby ended the Celtics game with 32 points, including 20 in the first quarter, on 13-21 shooting and 4-5 from 3-point range. After having to shoot down offseason rumors of him being dissatisfied with his role in the offense, O.G. is gearing up to seize more minutes and responsibility by force.
Toronto Raptors: O.G. Anunoby may have his best season yet.
Anunoby has improved his scoring every year he’s been in the league, and the 17.1 points per game he averaged this year will almost assuredly fall if he plays at a level even approximating what he exhibited against Boston. Even the starters from a unit that was arguably the best defense in the league last year couldn’t stop him.
Anunoby has been through his fair share of ups and downs in Toronto, but he seems to have realized that the path to greater recognition and a nine-figure contract is in smoothing out his offensive game. When the season starts, O.G. will come out firing.