The Toronto Raptors wasted no time in filling some of their roster holes in free agency. Chris Boucher and Thad Young were brought back on multi-year contracts, while Otto Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangomez were lured away from Golden State and Utah, respectively, soon after that.
The Raptors have had some success with all of their new additions. While Porter has been inactive for large chunks of the season, that hasn’t stopped Toronto from going 5-3 and winning four of their last five games. The team’s pesky defense and suddenly explosive offense are working in tandem together.
The Raptors need to make sure that their new additions and returning veterans gel with what Nick Nurse is trying to implement this season. Scoring 280 points in two games without Fred VanVleet shows that at least one of those vets has come to play early in this season.
Let’s take a look at the first eight games of the season and examine how some of the new additions have looked. While Porter is not going to get a detailed write-up due to all the time he has missed, the other three have shown enough to warrant some analysis.
Grading 3 Toronto Raptors free agent signings.
Chris Boucher
The Raptors have constructed their roster with the expectation that Boucher and Precious Achiuwa would be the first two guys off the bench and impact contributors on both ends. While he missed some time with an injury, the Boucher returns have generally been well received.
Boucher, who is on a three-year deal, has averaged 11.2 points per game while shooting an insane 64% from the floor and 56% from 3-point range. His fantastic game against the Spurs illustrated that he is the best bench player on the team, making him one of the most important players to Toronto’s long-term success.
Chris Boucher has played well for the Toronto Raptors.
Boucher struggled early last season, but it appears as though whatever changes he made in the second half of the season helped him get back to the form he showcased in the Tampa bubble. A key perimeter defender and rebounder, Toronto is asking Boucher to fill multiple vital roles.
Boucher has proven he can be a traditional power forward, perimeter stopper, and off-ball catch-and-shoot threat in just the last few games. Even though he is a bit old for someone who just got his first big free agent contract, he’s starting to enter his prime this season.
Grade: A
Juancho Hernangomez
Hernangomez was given a one-year deal, but the fact that it was fully guaranteed showed that he was not going to be involved in the competition with names like DJ Wilson and Josh Jackson. Unfortunately, Bo Cruz has not been able to be as effective on the court as he was in his screen test.
Hernangomez has yet to score a point in four games, getting run off the floor very quickly in the opening-night win against the Cavaliers. We knew he wouldn’t be a great defender, but the lack of shooting and offensive skill has been quite alarming.
Juancho Hernangomez has disappointed for the Toronto Raptors.
The reason that Hernangomez can be criticized despite his lack of playing time is the fact that Nick Nurse said that Juancho was going to be a rotation player as the team worked their way back to full health. Just a handful of games in, that plan has already been thoroughly scrapped.
While Jackson and Wilson were almost assuredly not going to move the needle for the Raptors, Hernangomez essentially reserving a roster spot while those two had to be discarded must have stung for them. While he is not in the short-term plans beyond mop-up duty, the Raptors can’t be too thrilled with him so far.
Grade: F
Thad Young
Young’s usage, or lack thereof, has been odd. Once regarded as an indispensable member of the rotation that would provide his usual blend of veteran savvy, Nick Nurse has chosen to drop him from the rotation almost entirely, save for a few garbage time minutes when the outcome has already been decided.
Young is playing just eight minutes per game and averaging 2.4 points per game in that time. While he didn’t have his best start to the season in the team’s 1-2 start, the fact that he has been completely blackballed from the rotation in the last few games seems a bit strange.
The Toronto Raptors are not using Thad Young.
Young seems to have planned for the event that Toronto could theoretically ditch him after this year, as he has just $1 million guaranteed in his deal prior to June 30, 2023. The Raptors would be foolish to do that, if you’ll allow for some editorializing. He’s too valuable just to discard.
Young might not be the explosive athlete or dominant scorer he once was, but it’s clear that he can help this team in the right role. While Nurse will likely come to some sort of understanding with him that leads to more playing time, that will have to come soon if he wants to justify the contract.
Grade: C-