In all honesty, I thought the Raptors’ effort against the 76ers last night was way better than their last outing against the Celtics earlier this week. Giving up the lead to Boston and late-game head scratchers really soured me, even if Toronto looked strong at the beginning.
This time, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley had a complete turnaround from their uneventful, lackluster showing against Boston. It still wasn’t enough to push Toronto over the hump, though, as the Raptors fell to Philly, 123-112.
Two-thirds of our BBQ trio stepped up, and a locked-in Collin Murray-Boyles, along with the ever-steady Jamison Battle, gave Toronto some serviceable bonus production. But the uncertainty from the rest of the Raptors’ reserves showed. For Philadelphia, it was the classic Tyrese Maxey showcase, with efficient help from Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe and a seemingly rejuvenated Joel Embiid. Embiid had an early injury scare but stayed in the game.
While those Philly starters impressed, I kept coming back to two Sixers veterans who I’d argue were X-factors in the win. Their performances highlighted something this Raptors team has often lacked: proven depth, with real NBA miles behind it, that can provide a dependable boost.
Toronto needs its own proven veteran bench pieces like KCP and Anfernee Simons
The two players in question were Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons. KCP gave Philly 11 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. Simons added 17 points, three rebounds and two assists.
But the real damage came from beyond the arc: Caldwell-Pope went 3-for-5 from three, while Simons hit a five of his six attempts. And their three-point numbers this season tell a bigger bonus at large for Philly: KCP is shooting 47.4 percent from deep (on relatively modest valume at about three attempts per game), while Simons sits at 42.7 percent (on higher volume here at nearly six attempts per game)
Now, I don’t mean to knock what the Raptors already have. As I said earlier and recently wrote about too, Jamison Battle is becoming one of Toronto’s most reliable snipers — a quintessential role player any team would covet. I’ve also touted Ja’Kobe Walter as a potential KCP-esque impact player down the road: someone who can give you solid defense, knock down clutch threes and occasionally handle the ball.
Then there are guys like Jamal Shead and Alijah Martin. They have talent, but they’re not yet at the point where you know what you’ll get from them every night, though I'd give the scoring edge to Martin. With players like KCP and Simons, you have a much clearer track record: KCP is a two-time champion with years of experience, while Simons has been a 20-plus-point-per-game scorer in the past and once a young cornerstone in Portland. He’s bounced around a bit since then, but he still brings that kind of proven scoring punch.
Toronto has never been a franchise that conveniently attracts players like these.
The team has largely built itself through finding diamonds in the rough and developing its own talent. That approach can work, but it has its limits — especially when a project doesn’t reach its full potential. And even if your main goal is to nurture these young players — while they develop, having archetypes like a wily vet in KCP (a player I even tabbed as an intriguing Raptors target earlier this year, when he was still in Memphis) or a microwave scoring guard like Simons can make a real difference.
Alas, that’s the reality of being a Raptors fan.
As an outsider franchise, Toronto just hasn’t been accustomed to having an array of veterans and proven depth at its disposal (outside of the 2019 championship team, really). For now, I can only hope the team’s young talent becomes consistent and dangerous enough to put teams like Philly on notice — and deliver that kind of production sooner rather than later.
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