The Toronto Raptors were renowned for their ability to keep their core together in the past decade, but the winds of change have gradually swept through the organization. Only four players from the Raptors team who won a championship in 2018-19 are still hanging around on the roster.
The Raptors have had to make some tough choices in the last few years, parting ways with both franchise icons like Kyle Lowry and fan favorites from the end of the bench like Yuta Watanabe. Luckily, the Raptors have continued their winning ways without these players in the fold.
Even while Lowry tries to get back on track following a slow start and Clippers wing Norman Powell is trying to rediscover the 3-point shot that enticed Portland into giving him such a hefty deal, the league is full of former Raptors that are starting solid second acts to their NBA lives.
These three former Toronto Raptors are trying their best to show Masai Ujiri that they are still effective players in this league. With the roster leaking coolant following tons of injuries compounded after one another, any one of this trio would have been a welcome addition to the team.
3 former Toronto Raptors who are playing well this season
3. Yuta Watanabe, Brooklyn Nets
Watanabe’s Raptors career appeared to be completely over when he was taken out of the rotation in the second half of the season. After managing to link up with a Nets team in need of a high-energy wing that can defend, Watanabe has been so effective that he is now an undroppable rotation player.
Watanabe is averaging 8.1 points per game for Brooklyn, which is much higher than the 4.3 points per game he put on display during his time with the Raptors. The defensive effort that helped endear him to fans has translated to his time with Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn, as that effort has helped a poor Nets defense harden up lately.
Watanabe is making an insane 61% of his shots from the field and boasts a crazy 57% 3-point success rate that leads all of basketball. He had his moments as a shooter with Toronto, but nothing suggested that he would become one of the game’s best snipers at this point in his career.
The Raptors could use a player like Watanabe right now, as injuries have ravaged their depth chart and made it difficult for them to get consistently excellent play from their shooters. Watanabe is not only becoming a standout bench player, but he’s doing so for the rival Nets.
2. Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans
The Lithuanian big man spent most of his formative years with the Raptors playing a complementary role for teams that had championship aspirations, which is not often the best proving ground for those eyeing gaudy box score stats. Since being traded away before the title, Valanciunas has proven he is still a double-double machine.
Valanciunas is averaging 13.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game despite often sharing the paint with another dominant presence in Zion Williamson and conceding more shots to CJ McCollum. His minutes have reduced to just 23.6 per game, but he’s still making himself known on both ends.
Valanciunas struggled early, likely due to his need to adjust to playing alongside Williamson in the starting lineup. When the Pelicans need to use more traditional lineups, Jonas and his amazing rebounding chops will help New Orleans make some postseason noise.
Valanciunas is back in mid-2010s Raptors mode. He doesn’t need to be the leading scorer on the team, but the rotation feels incomplete without the big seven-footer coming over to vacuum up rebounds and finish off easy looks inside after McCollum penetrates.
1. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
DeRozan was regarded by some short-sighted predictors as a poor free agent signing when the Bulls gave him that big multi-year contract, but Raptors fans knew that he still had plenty of scoring juice left in the tank after leaving the rebuilding Spurs. An All-Star last year, DeRozan has been one of the few bright spots on this roster.
DeRozan is averaging 25.4 points per game on 52% shooting. While these numbers may not be a huge change from what he’s done before with the Bulls, he’s been a terrific scorer and leader on a team that has lost many of their big names to injury. He and Zach LaVine are putting the team on their backs.
The former Raptors star, who will eventually have his No. 10 retired, is perhaps the main reason that the Bulls haven’t fallen into the Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson race. If they want to make a playoff run, having someone with all of the battle scares that DeMar has can only be a benefit.
While the Raptors had no choice but to get rid of DeRozan to acquire Kawhi Leonard, this appears to have been a solid move for both parties. The Raptors got their ring, while DeRozan has prolonged his career to the point where he’s still an All-Star hopeful at 33 years old.
DeMar has a better-than-average shot of being an All-Star for the sixth time.