Raptors news: Otto Porter Jr. returns, Adrian Griffin staying

Through no fault of his own, Otto Porter Jr. was a massive disappointment for the Toronto Raptors. After helping the Golden State Warriors win a championship, the 2022-23 season was supposed to be where Porter came into town on a white horse and fixed the bench shooting issues.

Instead, Porter’s injury troubles managed to peek up once more. Before he even had the chance to really get in a flow with the team, a foot injury sidelined him early and threw the team’s bench into a state of complete anarchy. As a result, many of the problems the Raptors had in 2021-22 returned to bite them this year.

Porter played in just eight uninspiring games for the Raptors this season, essentially removing their big offseason signing from the equation. Fans hoping to see more of him will be pleasantly surprised to hear that he will be back in town for at least one more season.

Porter has picked up his $6.3 million player option, likely due to the fact that his value was as low as it has been in quite some time. Porter likely intends to be a solid backup piece for the Raptors, but the idea of trading him has likely come across Masai Ujiri’s mind recently.

More Raptors news

• The Toronto Raptors are not only going to retain top assistant coach Adrian Griffin, but they are expected to give him an interview for the vacant head coaching position. Perhaps the Raptors are trying to conjure up some of that Nick Nurse mojo.
• Las Vegas is puzzled by the Raptors’ vacancy. Griffin is listed as the co-favorite for this spot at +340, with Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and 76ers coach Sam Cassell tied with him. Frank Vogel is listed at +480, while former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse is not on the board.

NBA news

• Scottie Barnes has officially handed over his crown, as Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero was named the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year. Banchero was ready from Day 1, as the Duek product averaged 20.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season.
• The Atlanta Hawks fought off elimination against the Boston Celtics, as some timely shot-making from Trae Young was enough to complete a serious comeback and force a Game 6.
• The Phoenix Suns eliminated Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, and what was a very beat-up Los Angeles Clippers squad with a dominant showing in Game 5 of their playoff series.