Fred VanVleet, Nick Nurse, and the Toronto Raptors have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season, as they are fighting tooth and nail for a play-in spot in a year where they were supposed to improve upon their 48 wins from last season.
At 27-31, the Raptors are hoping that the acquisition of Jakob Poeltl will be enough to vault this team into a spot where they can make it into the postseason. While he has had some very promising early returns, he likely isn’t going to turn everything around by himself.
After burning their first-round pick for the next three years, barring a top-six appearance, the Raptors are officially a win-now team. Even after a sluggish start to the season, this front office believes that their path to success in the East got much easier after the trade deadline.
Toronto is in this position because of some bitterly disappointing performances from players who were expected to hold much bigger roles with the team. This trio needs to turn things around after the All-Star break if Toronto wants any shot of being a postseason force.
3 most disappointing Toronto Raptors in 2022-23 season.
3. Malachi Flynn
The Raptors are still struggling with many of their issues from the 2021-22 campaign, including a lack of guard depth behind their starters. The lack of development from Flynn, who is still failing to make good on his promise as a collegiate star, is very concerning.
After leapfrogging Dalano Banton and putting together some very inspired performances early in the season, Flynn is back to the same inefficient player he was early in his career. Every time Flynn comes in the game, fans find themselves wringing their hands until he is subbed out.
Malachi Flynn has played poorly for the Toronto Raptors.
One of the main complaints with VanVleet is that he doesn’t have the physical skills to fit Masai Ujiri’s “Vision 6-9” philosophy. At least VanVleet brings 20 point per game scoring ability and some timely turnover creations skills to the table. Flynn, meanwhile, has been a defensive negative.
At this point, a fresh start is likely best for both parties. Flynn is not going to be a long-term piece, and the Raptors are clearly in need of someone that can provide a more immediate upgrade. Flynn can work his way back into the good graces of his fanbase, but it’ll be hard to do that after shooting 36% from the floor this season.
2. Chris Boucher
Boucher and Precious Achiuwa have often been viewed as a very symbiotic partnership. Achiuwa’s offensive inconsistency is overshadowed by what Boucher brings to the table, and the strong Achiuwa makes up for Boucher’s defense limitations. However, Achiuwa has been playing much better than his veteran counterpart in the last few weeks.
Boucher is averaging a solid 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season, but that is not as impactful as he was during the second half of last season or his Tampa bubble breakout. After signing a three-year contract, Boucher’s performance hasn’t exactly been
Chris Boucher has been inconsistent for the Toronto Raptors.
Boucher is also exacerbating one of the main problems with this Toronto roster. The team is full of switchable power forwards that can’t shoot, and Boucher is clogging up a roster spot that could have been used on a ball-handling guard. When paired with wild inconsistency, Boucher is a frustrating watch.
Boucher vacillates between a high-energy big that dominates on the glass and a complete negative that gets bullied off the ball with alarming regularity. Those wild swings simply need to stop if Toronto wants to contend. He could end up on the trade market in the offseason if he doesn’t fix that,
1. Fred VanVleet
VanVleet has become a lightning rod for Raptors fans, as his roller-coaster play and penchant for hogging the ball on occasion is viewed as a detriment to both the overall success of the team and the development of expected franchise player Scottie Barnes.
VanVleet is still shooting worse than 40% from the field, and many a Raptors game has ended with Barnes narrowly in the positive in the plus-minus category while VanVleet is in the red. VanVleet’s offensive production is serviceable as a No. 3 option, but paying him close to $130 million over four years and making him a de facto co-star could scare some fans away.
Fred VanVleet must be a leader for the Toronto Raptors.
The encouraging thing for Raptors fans is that VanVleet has been white hot over the last few weeks, averaging 25 points per game while rediscovering his 3-point shot. If he plays like this, signing him to a nine-figure deal will not be as vomit-inducing as it appears to a certain subset of this fanbase.
When everything is clicking, VanVleet can be a terrific offensive player that plays a significant role on a team with championship aspirations. However, the Raptors need to transition to an era led by Siakam and Barnes. As long as VanVleet is resisting that change, the Raptors might find it difficult to compete for championships.