Starting Jakob Poeltl at the center spot makes sense, no matter how good Collin Murray-Boyles is—he will play plenty of minutes and close many, many games. Poeltl offers better size and should have value as a screener and rebounder in a lineup that has a lot of mouths to feed around him. However, if Poeltl continues his disappointing trajectory from last season, Darko Rajakovic might have to consider making a change if the Raptors cannot move Poeltl in a trade for an upgrade.
Although much less likely, the Raptors could also encounter another big starting lineup question.
“Is there a world in which the Raptors swallow hard and make the decision that Ja’Kobe Walter should start over either Barrett or Quickley?” Zach Lowe said on the September 15 episode of The Zach Lowe Show. “I don’t see that as likely, given their pedigrees respectively.”
As Lowe mentioned, it seems unlikely that the Raptors will go there, especially if they’re considering trading either and don’t want to risk decreasing their trade value. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting idea—more so with Walter in place of Barrett than Quickley.
Walter is an impactful defender and shot 40.9% on 3.7 3-pointers per game. Barrett, meanwhile, isn’t as strong defensively and is a mediocre 3-point shooter. His rim pressure and cutting will be incredibly valuable for the Raptors and he will have to step up whenever Leonard is out, but the lack of a consistent 3-point shot is a concern. Between Barrett, Barnes, and Poeltl, the Raptors won’t have great spacing in the starting lineup, and Barrett’s position is currently the easiest one to upgrade in that aspect.
The Raptors will have a lot to figure out this season
Unlike the last time Leonard came to Toronto, there’s little reason to believe that his presence will immediately translate to championship contention. Given how young most key players on the team are and how many roster questions there are, the Raptors seem at least one trade deadline and one offseason away from building a true contender around Leonard and Barnes.
While this upcoming season will be about building on last season’s success, it will also be about figuring out who should be a key piece next to the core of Leonard, Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles after this season.
Barrett’s future is very uncertain, as he is on an expiring contract and the Raptors’ best trade asset from a player standpoint. Moreover, Poeltl’s and Quickley’s expensive contracts make them potential trade candidates if the Raptors want to make another notable trade or just want to create some financial flexibility. Rookie Allen Graves should fit well into the Raptors’ system, but he will have to prove that he is ready to contribute this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google