3 questions Toronto Raptors must answer during 2023 Media Day
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors will finally face the music at 2023 Media Day following an offseason that is about as polarizing as one could possibly be. The team got rid of names like Nick Nurse and Fred VanVleet, but they stopped short of making sweeping organizational changes.
VanVleet is a Houston Rocket, Darko Rajakovic is the new sheriff in town, and opinions on the Raptors’ roster range from “sneaky interesting young squad” to “mish-mashed mess of players that don’t make sense.” Time will tell what that ends up looking like on the court.
Masai Ujiri and many other Raptors figures will finally be in the proverbial crosshairs for the first time, as he will need to update the fanbase on the exact state of affairs with this team. An incredulous fanbase will finally get some answers on what has transpired.
The Raptors need to leave the media day festivities with these three questions firmly answered. Failing to do so would leave a fanbase that would be is begging for someone to give them some reassurance even more confused and uncertain about the season.
3 questions the Toronto Raptors must answer at Media Day.
3. Who will start at point guard?
The point guard debate remains one of the more important unanswered questions surrounding Rajakovic’s new-look team. The two main contenders for this job are Scottie Barnes, who could move into a more critical playmaking role this season, and the more traditional option named Dennis Schroder.
While the Raptors are indebted to Barnes, the combination of Schroder’s past history with Rajaklvic from their time in Oklahoma City and his MVP performance on a gold medal-winning Germany side in the 2023 FIBA World Cup could be enough for him to earn this role early on.
The Toronto Raptors must pick a starting point guard.
Putting Barnes in that role is a much riskier decision, but he is very clearly someone that Toronto is willing to move heaven and earth to accommodate. He is at his best when he has the ball in his hands and can set up his teammates for plays. Will they give him a long leash?
This decision will have serious repercussions throughout the Raptors’ rotation early in the season, as it will be impossible to keep Gary Trent Jr. in the rotation with both Schroder and Barnes alongside him. Will Rajakovic let Barnes cook or go back to what he knows?