3 areas where the Raptors are vastly improved in 2023-24
By Mike Luciano
2. Overall Depth
Even those who detested the Raptors were crying out for Ujiri and the rest of the front office to get this team a better rotation. Drafting Gradey Dick, who promises to be an integral part of the team going forward, was a start in getting this bench to perform at peak efficiency.
VanVleet may have signed a monster contract with the Rockets, but the money that would have been used on a deal for him has been allocated to a high-end starting center in Poeltl, a quality bench forward in McDaniels, and the best Sixth Man this team has had in quite some time in German sensation Dennis Schroder.
The Toronto Raptors have more depth this season.
The Raptors still need to figure out what they are doing with names like Otto Porter Jr. and Malachi Flynn, both of whom currently find themselves out of a projected 10-man rotation. At the very least, it’s nice for the Raptors to have too many players for the rotation instead of scrambling to find anyone to soak up minutes.
One of the main reasons Rajakovic’s Memphis Grizzlies teams were so effective was their bench, as they were still able to light teams up when names like Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. sat. While Toronto’s group is nowhere near close to that yet, Rajakovic has to start from somewhere.