The summer is almost over. Officially it ended on September 21st, but for NBA teams their summer stretches a few days further until the start of Training Camp, which for the Toronto Raptors is less than a week away. Soon, players will take the court for actual basketball games, and in less than a month the regular season will begin.
That means news will begin flowing in earnest for the team, from Media Day to player progress to actual game footage. With that fountain of happenings will of course come the return of "Raptors News" every Tuesday morning, covering the biggest developments and most interesting things to watch or read about the northernmost NBA team in the league.
We begin, therefore, with the mending of fences and the most significant news for the franchise approaching their 30th anniversary season.
Honoring Vinsanity
The Toronto Raptors announced this week that, as a part of their 30th anniversary celebration this season, Vince Carter will become the very first Toronto Raptors player to have his jersey retired and raised into the rafters at Scotiabank Arena.
In one sense, it makes perfect sense for Carter to be the first player honored in such a way. He was the team's first true superstar, a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate who made basketball matter in Canada for the very first time. He remains one of the best dunkers in NBA history and his best skywalking days were with the Raps, including his dominant Dunk Contest in 2000. His seven-game showdown with Allen Iverson in 2001 remained the most memorable Raptors playoff series until the 2019 run to the title.
On the other hand, Carter played just seven seasons with the team, the latter few being marred by injury, and he was accused of throwing games at the very end before he forced his way out in a trade that the Raptors took years to recover from. When he returned to Toronto as an opposing player he was roundly booed for years. We ranked 10 players who turned their back on the franchise earlier this year, and Carter landed at No. 1.
Many Raptors fans believe that Kyle Lowry deserves to be the first player to have his jersey retired, but he is still active and years away from being honored in such a way. In recent years time has healed wounds and Carter was cheered during the final few seasons of his career when he played in Toronto. This year, as the Raptors celebrate their 30th birthday and Vince Carter is elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the time appears to be right for Carter to get the honor he is due for how he shaped basketball in Canada for an entire generation.
Is Scottie Barnes a superstar?
Scottie Barnes is clearly an ascending player in the Eastern Conference. He had a shockingly strong rookie season, narrowly winning Rookie of the Year over Evan Mobley, but then stagnated as a sophomore in the midst of a tumultuous season for the Raptors. Then last season he took that step forward, earning his first All-Star selection, but the team turned over completely around him and he missed the last six weeks of the season due to a fractured hand.
Where does Barnes rank among his peers? He probably enters the season as less than an All-Star lock, placing him outside the Top 25 players in the league. He is a solid ball-handler and playmaker, a good interior scorer and rebounder, and an inconsistent defender with sky-high potential. His shot is not yet a weapon and his off-ball impact is fairly mutued. He is, in other words, a budding two-way star who doesn't scale extremely well alongside other stars.
That likely means that for the Raptors to become a great team, they need Scottie Barnes to be great. He certainly can play alongside another star, but unless they are a special off-ball talent like Stephen Curry, it will mean diminishing returns pairing them with Barnes. If this iteration of the Raptors are going to make the leap, they need Barnes to make the leap.
Tom Ziller recently explored this reality on his excellent NBA substack newsletter, making a few interesting observations about Barnes. He sees him more as a small forward than a power forward, which has significant team-building implications moving forward. He then discussed potential trade targets for the team to pair with Barnes as Toronto determines their path forward.
His most potent conclusion? How Barnes develops plays a major role in where the Raptors go, and when. They have attached their team's success to this star, and he will blaze the trail to either mediocrity or dominance.
What to Read
With the partial sale of the Toronto Raptors to Rogers Communications, CEO Edward Rogers will now have an increased influence on the running of the franchise -- and that could spell doom for Team President Masai Ujiri. Read about some candidates to replace him over the next year if he is indeed fired.
Also, Bruce Brown's injury will open up playing time for other players on the roster. Who could benefit the most?
Legendary Teams
The Toronto Raptors X account put together two teams amde up of Raptors franchise legends and asked which team would win. We took this exercise seriously, and evaluated the makeup of both teams and how they would match up. Check our our analysis and final prediction here.
What's Next?
Media Day for the Toronto Raptors is Monday, September 30 in Montreal. From there, the team will begin Training Camp and see this group together for the first time. The preseason begins on October 6th as the Raptors play the Washington Wizards in Montreal.