The Raptors are looking to add talent this offseason to ensure that the team can build on this season’s success. They desperately need more offensive firepower, but GM Bobby Webster won’t go just after that. He is looking for players who can help the Raptors improve on that end of the floor while not jeopardizing the team’s defensive tenacity and prowess.
“Our philosophy has always been getting two-way players, and I think I said this summer we’re in talent acquisition,” Webster said in his end-of-season media availability. “We still need more better players. There will be a time where it feels like, okay, this specific piece is what puts us over the top, but, no, I think this summer, whether it’s the draft or free agency or trades, we’ll be looking at the best two-way players available.”
His philosophy highlights two balancing acts the Raptors need to pull off this season: How do they balance offensive improvement with maintaining the defensive foundation and how do they navigate improving the roster while not pushing in all their chips too early?
The Raptors need to be a better two-way team
To be a legitimate title contender, you can’t just excel at one aspect of the game. You need to rank towards the top of the league in defensive and offensive ratings. All three of the last NBA champions finished the regular season as one of the best two-way teams in the league. The Thunder ranked third in offensive rating and first in defensive rating, the Celtics finished first and second, respectively, and the Nuggets had the fifth-best offensive rating and sixth-best defensive rating in 2023.
The Raptors already have a top-five defense. So, they have to balance maintaining that defensive impact—or even improving it—with improving offensively, which makes it difficult to feel confident in bringing in an offensive savant who would be a weak link on defense.
The Raptors may not be ready for a big all-in move quite yet
Webster’s comment doesn’t make it seem like he’s ready to chase one specific player whose addition will immediately put pressure on the Raptors to win a title. Instead, it sounds like he wants to make incremental moves that can help the team get to the next level while leaving room for internal development.
That approach would give the Raptors time to see whether Scottie Barnes can replicate the same offensive aggressiveness he showed in the playoffs over an 82-game season. It would also reveal how much better Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja’Kobe Walter can be, and whether RJ Barrett can continue to level up next to Barnes.
Fans are eager for playoff success, but having a little more patience and not cashing in on their assets quite yet could pay off, if it means having a better understanding of what this team really needs and an improved young core.
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