The Toronto Raptors have an obvious need in the frontcourt. Aside from Jakob Poeltl, they are incredibly thin in the middle, and if they are trying to preserve Collin Murray-Boyles' health, they should look to address the backup center spot. Thankfully for Toronto, the early stages of the summer league have revealed a pair of intriguing options in Nate Bittle and Jamarion Sharp.
As of now, it feels like Sharp should have the edge.
Both big men have posted nearly identical points-and-rebounds numbers through their first two games, averaging 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. But outside of that, they are very different prospects and can offer different things for Toronto behind Poeltl.
With CMB expected to log a large amount of minutes as a backup center, having someone who can eat 10-ish minutes at the backup five would be huge, especially in the regular season. Of the two bigs, Toronto should lean towards Sharp, as he offers much more upside and is unlike anyone else on Toronto’s roster.
Jamarion Sharp’s upside separates him from Nate Bittle
The biggest difference between the two is that Bittle is very similar to Jakob Poeltl. Bittle is a slow-footed big man who is strong in the pick-and-roll, has a soft touch around the rim, strong on the glass, and is a good connective passer.
Where the intrigue really comes in with Bittle is that he has shown potential. In five years at Oregon, he shot 32.8 percent from three on 2.6 attempts per game. Through the start of summer league, that side of his game has trended upwards as he’s shooting 37.5 percent from three on 4.0 attempts per game.
My issue with this part of Bittle’s game is that he has started to use it as a crutch and is settling a ton. At his size and with his touch, he’s a beast in the pick-and-roll, but since his three-ball has started to develop, he's mostly popping instead of rolling.
When you have a slower big man starting as the Raptors do with Poeltl, you need someone like Sharp to come in and provide a pace change, which Bittle can’t.
With Sharp, the Raptors would be getting a literal giant at 7-foot-5 who is a monster shot-blocker and play-finisher, and the reigning G League Defensive Player of the Year. Beyond the 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds that match Bittle, he’s averaging 3.0 blocks and 1.5 steals while shooting 83.3 percent from the field. Sharp doesn’t bring the same finesse or floor-spacing potential as Bittle, but he does bring undeniable size that makes him unstoppable near the basket.
Against the Rockets is really where Sharp made his case stronger than Bittle for me. He finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 5-of-5 from the field. Sharp also got to the foul line eight times, because Houston had no answer for him other than fouling him when he got two feet in the paint. According to NBA rules, Sharp would have attempted 12 free throws if those non-late fourth-quarter fouls had been called under standard game rules rather than summer league rules.
When you have players like Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard that demand so much attention from opposing defenses, having a 7-foot-5 guy down low would add another fun layer to their offense. And on the defensive end, rolling out a lineup featuring Jamal Shead, Barnes, Kawhi, CMB, and Sharp would be terrifying for opposing teams.
Bittle may be the safer option, but the sheer upside of a 7-foot-5, 24-year-old big man is something Toronto shouldn’t pass up.
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