3 Raptors who flubbed their chance at a larger role this season
The Toronto Raptors have played a lot of players this season. They don't lead the league in most players to appear -- that would be the injury-devastated Memphis Grizzlies, who just set the record with their 50th different starting lineup of the year -- but 30 different players have appeared in a game for the Raptors this season.
Assuming that the Raptors are healthier next season, and that they don't pull off quite so many roster-shifting trades, they will have a much tighter rotation next season. Many players who saw the court this year won't even be back on the team, and others will see minutes only sparingly.
Some players on the team took advantage of extra playing time to prove their worth to the team for next season, but others flubbed their shot at an extended audition. Let's look at three players who played roles down the stretch of the season and discuss why they are unlikely to see an increased role next season.
No. 3: Jalen McDaniels
The Toronto Raptors added multiple role players this offseason to raise the competitive level of their team; with a core of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunonby and Scottie Barnes this was a team that expected to win this season. That did not happen, and the team eventually made the call to break up the gang, but it did mean the team still had a few of those role players left on the roster.
Toronto moved off of Dennis Schroder by the Trade Deadline but hung onto Jalen McDaniels, a 26-year-old forward who showed real pop with the Charlotte Hornets to start his career but struggled in Philadelphia a season ago. He was largely nondescript for much of this year until injuries pressed him into service, and the results were less than stellar.
In 48 games for the Raptors this year, McDaniels is averaging just 3.3 points per game, has nearly as many turnovers (28) as assists (35) and is shooting only 16.2 percent from 3-point range. He is a decent defender, but he would need to be prime Scottie Pippen on defense to justify that offensive output. He has another season left on his contract next year, which may mean he is still around, but he won't be in the rotation unless another emergency comes up.