After losing their inaugural group play matchup in the Emirates NBA Cup to the Milwaukee Bucks on November 12, the Raptors aimed to bounce back with a victory against the Detroit Pistons at home on November 15. Alas, the Raptors' losing streak extended, leaving their NBA Cup record at a winless 0-2 after the Pistons squeezed by with a 99-95 victory.
Like many of their games since their last victory over Sacramento on November 2, the Raptors fought to keep it a back-and-forth contest, but ultimately fell short as the game came down to the wire.
Examining these two teams, both franchises in the Eastern Conference are striving to complete a successful rebuild, boasting a wealth of young talent. The Detroit Pistons feature their star point guard, Cade Cunningham, alongside quality supporting players like Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.
However, if you look closer at their rosters, there’s a glaring weakness that separates Toronto from Detroit: the Raptors' lack of veteran players. In Detroit, they have the advantage of older veterans who have experienced the league—not necessarily stars, but proven players capable of delivering points on any given night.
Toronto desperately needs some proven NBA vets
Malik Beasley is becoming one of the Pistons most consistent players as of late. #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/1vgDziOeBC
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) November 15, 2024
In this Raptors-Pistons game on November 15, look no further than a player like Malik Beasley. At 27 years old, Beasley has already played for six different teams. While he is often viewed as an inconsistent shooter, he demonstrated his ability to light it up from beyond the arc against Toronto. Beasley scored 20 points in the Pistons' victory, hitting four of his nine three-point attempts.
Meanwhile, Toronto struggled to generate efficient offense beyond veteran big man Jakob Poeltl, who delivered a tremendous performance with 25 points and 18 rebounds. RJ Barrett’s 22 points and Gradey Dick’s 16 points may seem impressive on paper, but when you examine their efficiency—33% and 23%, respectively—it highlights how atrocious Toronto was in their efforts to find a bucket.
Even a player like Tobias Harris, who gained infamy across the league after the 76ers’ opted to overpay him instead of Jimmy Butler, seemed like a comical fit on the young Pistons squad. Yet, he contributed to the game with a double-double performance of 11 points and 11 rebounds, proving to be a solid starter for Detroit. Tim Hardaway Jr. is another veteran who, despite being inactive against Toronto due to injury, continues to demonstrate his value as a presence on the roster.
Look, there are plenty of caveats and circumstances to consider on Toronto's side as well. We understand that their roster is consistently plagued by injuries and bad luck, but that doesn’t change the fact that Toronto has no one near the caliber of Beasley, Hardaway Jr., or Harris. These players demonstrate their ability to strengthen an otherwise struggling rebuilding franchise.
Malik Beasley's vibe-checks are giving this team life.
— Halbridious (@Halbridious) November 16, 2024
It's not about asking Toronto to overpay for veterans—that would be completely foolish. However, it would be nice to test the waters in acquiring quality veterans. Garrett Temple's presence as the team's wise veteran is encouraging, but he doesn't contribute much on the court, as evidenced by his 2:08 minutes of play against the Pistons.
The advantage of having good, reliable veterans is that they can step up when your young players aren’t clicking on offense or if injuries sideline them, like in the cases of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley. This sentiment is further amplified by the resurgent seasons that Jakob Poeltl and Chris Boucher are currently experiencing.
It's nice to have the Toronto roster made up of promising young talent, but simply stock piling prospects and unproven players isn't going to win you many games. Clearly, Toronto’s current goals extend well beyond simply winning games, but there’s only so long you can tank and rebuild before fans grow frustrated with the relentless string of losses.
Toronto has already shown this season that they are a losing squad capable of putting up a fight, which is certainly a positive narrative to witness. However, veterans who bring an offensive spark will be essential for the team’s success, regardless of whether their ultimate desire is to win or lose.
They don’t need to start or play a lot of minutes, but they do need to be part of the mix. If Detroit can accomplish it, so can Toronto. It has to be among their top priorities next offseason.