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?
2. Will Pascal Siakam be extended?
The lack of a Siakam extension remains one of the more baffling contract talks in recent NBA history. The Raptors refused to trade him away and are angling the team to contend with him at the tip of the spear, yet no extension talks have taken place recently.
To make matters even more confusing, Siakam’s camp not only wants an extension with the Raptors, but he was allegedly unwilling to sign a long-term extension with other teams as trade rumors swirled in the offseason. Ujiri owes it to the fanbase to give someone a straight answer on this.
Will the Toronto Raptors extend Pascal Siakam?
Even if Toronto wanted to press the rebuild button and get rid of many of their big names, wouldn’t a Siakam that has years of financial security make more sense than trying to get blood for a stone and take an inferior offer for someone who is an expiring contract?
Nothing about how the Raptors have handled this situation makes sense, especially considering that Siakam wants to be back. Hopefully, Toronto will figure that out and finally come to terms with one of the greatest forwards in franchise history.
1. What is the direction?
The Raptors appear to be stuck in between a rock and a hard place, as the team seems petrified of either emptying the cupboards and going for broke or starting a more earnest rebuild. Ujiri has refused to mortgage most of their future assets to become a winner, yet hasn’t recouped picks for some of Toronto’s top players.
A rebuild would make sense to many, as the Raptors could lose Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. to free agency. However, it would take quite some time to dig out of that hole, and Ujiri doesn’t want to waste Barnes’ prime. It’s a tough decision, but making no decision will leave this team much worse off.
What direction will the Toronto Raptors take?
Toronto could, in theory, be better than they were last year, as they got rid of an ineffective shooter in VanVleet and the architect of the teams’ poor half-court offense in Nurse. They could also fall off, as the Eastern Conference around them has gotten much better.
Even if Toronto makes it to the postseason, the free agents who could leave this team in the offseason could cast a very dark cloud that managed to overwhelm any positive developments. Ujiri needs to show fans that the plan he has in place doesn’t end with Toronto stuck in the middle.