The Toronto Raptors have needed to overcome a monumental task early in the 2023-24 season, as Darko Rajakovic, Scottie Barnes, and the rest of the squad took on contenders like the Mavericks, 76ers, and Celtics in the early going. The dust has settled after nine games, and Toronto sports a 4-5 record.
On top of needing to overcome the brutal schedule they were handed, Toronto has been trying to take a roster that was primarily built for Nick Nurse’s preferred style and adjust on the fly to a more up-tempo offensive attack. The lack of depth is an issue that has carried over from last year.
Barnes and others have helped on occasion, but the overall body of work from the entire roster is a bit suspect. As is to be expected with a team that has so many young players in key roles, Toronto’s competency in a 3-point-heavy offense has varied from game to game.
Many of Toronto’s best players have lived up to billing and played just as well as one would expect in a new system. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the team’s often languid offense and propensity to play down to the handful of lower-tier opponents they’ve locked horns with, there have been a few stinkers so far.
Grading every Toronto Raptors player after an uneven 4-5 start
Guards
Dennis Schroder: A-
Gradey Dick: C+
Malachi Flynn: C+
Gary Trent Jr: C –
Where would this offense be without Schroder? After thrusting his way into the starting lineup following his free agent signing, Schroder has been an effective finisher, competent 3-point shooter, and electric passer all rolled into one. It’s hard to ask him to do much more.
Dick has struggled as a shooter, but his past history suggests that will come around. The first-round pick has had some very brutal moments on both ends, but he’s just 19 years old. He was worrying about physics class and who to ask to prom less than two years ago. The promising moments have been there on both ends.
Dennis Schroder has looked sharp for the Toronto Raptors.
In traditional Flynn fashion, he has followed some performances that made it look like he shouldn’t be in the NBA with some of the best individual games of his career. The Raptors seem content to ride the Flynn coaster for one more season, especially after some kind words from Rajakovic.
Trent has been a gigantic disappointment. After opting into the last year of his deal with the thought of being a Sixth Man of the Year contender and ace bench gunner, Trent has been ice cold to start the season. For an iffy on-ball defender, most of his value will lie in how well he’s scorching the nets.
Wings
Scottie Barnes: A
OG Anunoby: A-
Otto Porter Jr: B
Jalen McDaniels: F
Garrett Temple/Thad Young: Inc.
Barnes has been nothing short of magnificent this season, as he has improved in many of the areas where he struggled last year while expanding upon his strengths. Barnes is a firm Most Improved Player of the Year candidate and has made the assertive leap the front office was hoping to see from him.
Anunoby has made 51% of his shots and 39% of his 3-pointers, showing that his offensive impact is going beyond what the raw box score numbers say. On the other end, the excellent on-ball defense and peerless that earned him his first All-Defensive nod last year has vacillated over to the new style of play.
Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby have impressed for the Toronto Raptors.
Porter hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet, but he has cemented himself as a quality rotation player who will get plenty of time due to his 3-point shooting. Porter contributed to a championship Warriors team in the past, and he’s starting to get back in the swing of things after his injuries.
McDaniels has been nothing short of putrid with the Raptors, so much so that he is already out of the rotation. He’s barely scored, and his defense has underwhelmed to the point where Porter has already eclipsed him. Temple and Young have seen time, but only in mop-up duty at the end.
Bigs
Jakob Poeltl: B
Pascal Siakam: B-
Chris Boucher: C
Precious Achiuwa: D+
Siakam hasn’t been the All-NBA player he has been in the past, as he has struggled to find a role as a No. 2 option behind Barnes. Rajakovic’s usage of him has been questionable, especially with how much off-ball cutting and spot-up shooting he’s been doing, but Pascal himself has balanced out hot shooting nights with clunkers.
Poeltl has faced a very difficult rotation of big men early in the season, and he has some predictably mixed results against that group. When he’s clicked, however, Poeltl looks like the player Toronto just handed a massive four-year contract, even if the scoring is down.
Will Pascal Siakam turn it around for the Toronto Raptors?
Boucher has been his usual volatile self, as he has received DNP-CDs, been the Raptors’ best bench player, and stunk up the joint all in a nine-game span. If Toronto is not going to make an upgrade, they need a lot more from a player who has been in town for quite some time.
While it might be a bit unfair to rip Achiuwa after struggling with injuries, the fact that he has looked the exact same in his fourth NBA season (third in Toronto) as he did early in his career is alarming. The defense is great, but the same hyperactive tornado on offense is once again making it tough for the coach to find him minutes.