3 offseason mistakes Raptors made that led to slow 2022 start
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors were beaten down by the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, one of the worst teams in the league, twice in the span of three nights. After bringing in Otto Porter Jr, retaining large chunks of a roster that won 48 games, and hyping up Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, much was expected of this team.
To understate the obvious, on top of the fact that the team is now 3-11 in road games this year and below .500 after 27 games, the Raptors have the league’s worst half-court offense in terms of points per possession. Even with the mighty Pascal Siakam on the floor, this offense looks stale.
Masai Ujiri has done an exemplary job of building winners in Toronto and sustaining success, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he and his acolytes in the front office are above making mistakes. They did a solid job in the offseason, but those moves look less impressive than they did a few months ago.
The Raptors have constructed a roster that is very limited, and these three big offseason mistakes are the reasons why. Be those mistakes a misguided action or some regretful inaction, the Raptors need to dig themselves out of the small hole they created for themselves.
3 offseason mistakes hurting the Toronto Raptors.
3. Signing Otto Porter Jr.
Porter is unironically one of the biggest free agent signings in Raptors history. That may sound like hyperbole, but how often has Toronto snagged a member of a championship team that helped fill their largest hole on the roster. Unfortunately, his impact has been measured, to say the least.
The same durability issues that have hampered the No. 3 pick his entire career are making it tough for him to be an impactful player with the Raptors. He has played in just eight games this season out of a possible 27, and he’s only averaged 5.5 points per game in those limited appearances. Not exactly a huge marquee addition.
Otto Porter Jr. must provide more value for the Toronto Raptors.
If he gets healthy and is given a very green light to shoot from range, Porter still seems like an ideal bench player for this team. He fills a hole while also being a nice fit for Toronto’s aggressive, switch-heavy defense. Unfortunately, that’s a gigantic “if” qualifying that statement thanks to his toe ailment.
While it’s not Porter’s fault that he got hurt, it’s painfully obvious that the Raptors needed someone with his skills in the lineup. Without him, this is no different than the flawed team that was eventually to beaten up when the postseason came around.